The Century Quest
by lemon-moon
Summary: Lucy joins her beloved team on a quest to find the Diamond of the Depths along with a legendary hoard of Dragon's treasure. As the team overcomes their obstacles one at a time, Lucy struggles to cope with her seemingly one sided feelings for her team mate.
1. Prologue

**Dialogue is from the final chapter of the Fairy Tail Manga, written by Hiro Mashima.**

 **Prologue**

"Happiness is breaking out all over!" Lucy thought to herself "What a nice feeling...like a warm hug!" She swayed a bit as she took in the atmosphere of the gala. The sound of glasses clinking and laughter and shouts made her head swim in a way that was both dizzying and blissful. Not wasting another second she joined her friends, downing more wine and rum with a boisterous Cana and Erza. The rest of the party blurred together, yanking and spinning Lucy like a leaf caught in a happy cyclone.  
Next thing she knew, Lucy was flinching at the bright rays reaching in through the curtains. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, riding out the wave of pain that was throbbing in her head.

White sheets crumpled in her hands, and twisted around her body as she stood her ground against the attacking hangover.

'Ugh." She groaned.

Lucy pushed her head into her pillow and reached out for any memory of last night.

 _The Gala!_

She was at a gala, celebrating her award for best new novelist. Wasn't she? She was with her friends and then...where was she now?!

With a start Lucy sat up.

"Huh?...I'm in my room." She blinked. It didn't make sense...Lucy raked through her memory but she couldn't remember getting back to her apartment...or...changing her clothes... being a novelist was her dream but-

"It can't be that it was all a dream. That's too cliche...!" She raked through her memory again... The smell of take-out food messed with her already tender stomach. When did she get food?

"What is the last thing I remember?" She mumbled to herself.

Before she could pain herself with more digging, the sound of smacking made Lucy realize she wasn't alone.

Natsu lounged happily on her chair as shamelessly as ever. Laid out between them was a messy buffet of take out, which atleast explained the stench. she stared aghast at the crumbs and sauce decorating her beautiful coffee table.

"THIS IS MY ROOM." She growled. They never cleaned up after themselves.

Dread washed over her, where was Happy?"

"Look Lucy! I made your trophy all shiny!"

Happy rubbed his paws all over a golden trophy sitting on her dresser. She could see claw marks all over it from where she sat.

"You scratched it up!" The trophy. It was there, in her room...so that meant...

"But it wasn't a dream." She sighed. Last night happened. The award. The Gala. The party. Her friends celebrating. Now she was in her room, and so were they?

"Why are the two of you in my room?" She demanded, locking eyes with Natsu.

He met her gaze with a wry one. "Why else? You completely passed out, and we carried you home!"

 _Carried me home, I couldn't make it here by myself?_ "You mean I was that drunk?!"

Happy failed to cover the massive grin with his paws. "Oh Lucy!"

A look of panic washed over Natsu's face. "You really shouldn't tell her, Happy."

"What did I do?"

"Ha-ha, well..." Happy began.

~0~

Drunken laughter died out around them as Lucy clung to Natsu's side.

"She's really had too much to drink." Happy pointed out.

Lucy giggled. "That was so much fun, we have to have another party next weekend."

"Well, we won't have another party like this for awhile." Natsu smirked.

Lucy reached up and circled her arms around his neck. Natsu's face went blank. She looked up at him with her big, brown, drunken eyes.

"Awe, how about we plan something small. Maybe we can dance like we did at the Basalmic Mansion." She swayed them both and hummed a waltz.

"She's in love!" Happy jested.

"Lucy, you need to go to sleep."

"No way! I want to dance!"

"Don't leave her hanging!" Happy snickered.

"Shut up Happy." He growled. "Come on Lucy, bedtime."

Lucy broke away from Natsu and nearly fell over.

"Haha!" She laughed on her way down. Happy caught her and flapped his wings to keep her upright.

"So heavy!" He cried.

Natsu grabbed her and tried to keep her steady. With a laugh she climbed around Natsu and jumped on his back.

"Ah!"

"Carry me, carry me!" Lucy squealed.

Natsu sighed in defeat and grabbed her her legs. Her apartment wasn't too far from where they were now.

He let her down carefully onto the bed. Happy threw down the shoes he had been carrying after they fell off her feet. Smiling, Lucy rubbed her hands all over her sheets. The bed felt amazing.

"Alright." Natsu said, watching Lucy stretch.

"Let's get out of here!" Happy yawned.

"Goodnight Lu-" Natsu started.

"Waaaait..." Lucy sat up, she tugged at her dress. "This dress is itchy, I don't want to sleep in it."

"Then take it off!" Happy said impatiently, not expecting Lucy to actually strip.

Lucy nodded and pushed her top down, exposing herself to the gawking guys. She laid down on her back and slid the dress down her thighs and then kicked it to the floor.

"Uhhh, Natsu...She-" Happy gasped.

"I need something warm, it's so cold!" She looked up at Natsu with a smile. "Change me!" She giggled.

"Nice underwear!" Happy choked. "Haha, she's never gonna live this down."

Natsu leapt for the dresser and started opening them until he found what could be used for pajamas.

"Here." He tried to hand them to her but she shook her head. "Dress me, I'm too tired!"

"Uh."

"It's just like putting on your own shorts, Natsu." Happy chuckled.

Natsu was able to slide the shorts up to her waist.

"Stay still."

Lucy giggled and grabbed Happy and rolled to her side.

"Cuddle with me." Lucy snuggled Happy to her and grinned. "Such a soft kitty."

"Natsu!" Happy cried.

"You're on your own little buddy." Natsu laughed.

"You too Natsu." Lucy begged. "Come keep me warm."

"Goodnight Lucy." He grinned and began to turn away.

"Save me, her boobs are suffocating me!"

"Natsu, could you please take this." Lucy reached out her closed hand. Happy's tail flicked in frustration.

"Yeah." When he reached out his hand Lucy's empty hand grabbed it and pulled him beside her.

"Ahahahaha, tricked you." Lucy trapped him with her leg.

"No more alcohol for you, ever!" He muttered to Lucy's shoulder.

"If you say so." She murmured.

Natsu rolled over to the left while Happy stayed on the right and laughed.

"So warm..." Lucy sighed as she drifted to sleep, snuggling with her boys...

"We're so drawing on her face this time." Happy swore.

~0~

"Now I'll never walk down the aisle." Lucy shuddered.

She heard Natsu jump to his feet. "But you can walk out and take a job with us, right?"

She looked over at Natsu and saw an all too familar look in his eyes. One that promised adventure and action. This time, that look went deeper than ever before. Lucy was warmed remembering all the times that she had been protected and avenged by Natsu. She felt again the depth of loneliness caused by his year absence and she felt again how much her heart burst at the sight of him walking out onto the tournament field and she tasted the relief of him saying "I'm home!" after defeating Acnologia. In the past three years, Natsu had brought her more adventure and action than she knew what to do with. She hoped with all her heart that the adventure would never end.

Lucy was hardly aware of the tears collecting in her eyes.

"What's the matter Lucy?" Natsu asked cautiously.

"Does your tummy hurt?" Happy asked innocently.

"N-no..." She sniffed. "All these memories just came rushing back...and I just couldn't stop the tears."

She looked deeper into his eyes and suddenly the distance between them was too much. In this moment Lucy wanted nothing more than to close the gap between them. She stumbled forward, blinded by her tears and slammed into his chest, nearly knocking the wind out of the both of them. Tears flowed freely, soaking into his shirt.

Still unsure of what to do Natsu and Happy stood still, looking down at Lucy's blonde head as she squeezed them tighter. As close as she was, Lucy could feel the quick thump, thump, thump of his heart. His life turned out to be more intense than either of them could have ever imagined...in a way it was like their lives were tangled together by fate... after all it was her ancestors who brought him to her timeline. Fate had crossed their paths and it changed her for the better.

"If I never met you and Happy...I wouldn't be who I am today." She murmured. "Really! Thank you! Thank...you..." She began to sob.

Natsu and Happy exchanged looks of alarm. She had only been awake for less than five minutes and she was already crying.

"Hey, Lucy." Natsu said in tone that made her heart lurch.

His breath stirred her bangs and the heat of his hands on her back stopped her breathing. For a moment he was still too, holding her in place.

 _He's gonna confess his feelings for me._ She thought.

"There's one thing I want to say to you!"

 _Just one?!_

His hands left her back and now gripped her arms. None too gently Natsu pushed her back so he could look in her eye. He leaned in closer...

"Huh?...wait."

Now he was pulling her away. He was so strong that she practically flew behind him, but, to where?

"Who cares about all that?! We're goin on a job!"

"Huuuuuh?!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy cheered.

"Here I am moved to tears by all the things you did and you don't even care?!"

"What does it matter, though?" She flinched at his indifference, it clearly mattered to Lucy. He grinned at her.

"We're still gonna be together from here on out, right?"

-O-

Lucy looked up towards the black sky, covered in twinkling stars. The group of friends had camped for the night. A fire pit glowed red as it burnt up the remainder of it's fuel. Wendy was the closest to her in a sleeping bag.

Erza was on the right.

Due to the snoring, Lucy was sure she was the only one awake. Her gaze moved from constellation to constellation while her mind wandered.

 ** _"We're still gonna be together from here on out, right?"_**

At first she felt certain that was Natsu's way of confessing his feelings... however nothing changed. He still treated her no different than he did Gray or Erza.

She was barely twenty years old now... she never had a boyfriend, never went on a date... as incredible as her life was, Lucy couldn't help but feel like she had missed out on romance. She remembered being invisible and overhearing her guild mates call her a beast behind her back. That had really cut her deep. Lucy knew she was attractive, but could her personality be what pushes away her chances of being in a relationship? Lucy had never felt so insecure before.

If her life were a story, by now they would have kissed and confessed their love for each other... in her head she saw the two of them kiss... For a moment she felt her heart warm up... but then Lucy's thoughts seemed to embarrass her, her face felt very hot. She wanted to look at Natsu, to make sure that he wasn't suddenly able to read minds.

However, she couldn't make herself look. She quickly turned over and hugged her pillow. Lucy had taken the first steps to confessing her feelings and he had interrupted her, told her they didn't matter. If he was indifferent about those feelings... then he probably wouldn't care for her more serious feelings.

Lucy took a deep breath and tried to breathe out her woes. Her situation felt hopeless. For now, Lucy decided, she would suppress everything and follow the path towards their newest adventure.


	2. The Journey Begins

**The Journey Begins**

Lucy had half a mind to summon Horologium several times over. They were a day and a half's walk away from the border to Silver. Luckily, they were planning to take a train from Limesburg, Fiore to a city right outside Silver's capitol.

The rough soil was really taking its toll on her feet. Happy had packed the wrong boots for her. All she had was her knee high fashion boots. They were several hours away from Limesburg. Surely they would have a decent shoe store that could sell her something comfortable. As for now she decided to tough it out.

"Carry me, Lucy." Happy collaped onto her chest, she instinctively caught him.

"Tired already?" Lucy asked him. They had only left their campsite an hour and a half ago.

Happy laid limp in her arms. "Mhmm."

"It's too soon to be taking breaks." Erza said, effortlessly pulling her cart behind.

"It's fine." Lucy smiled. "I guess I owe you, you've carried me quite a bit."

"And I'm nowhere near as heavy as you are." Happy sighed.

"Don't push it, fleabag."

"It's incredibly rude to mention a lady's weight." Carla sniffed. "Have some manners, Tomcat."

"I was just teasing."

"We're on our way to the border." Gray was talking to Juvia through his communication lacrima. "No, we won't make it today. We are going to stay in Limesburg tonight. Lucy needs new shoes. No Juvia, we aren't sharing a bed."

Lucy sighed. When would Juvia cease to see her as a rival?

"We can stop at the Yellow River," Happy told her. "Remember all the fishies we caught down there Natsu?"

"Atleast twenty." Natsu nodded.

"Huge, juicy fishies." Happy closed his eyes and fantasized about eating them.

"We had fish last night." Lucy complained. "If I would have had time, I could have bought some groceries."

"I brought plenty of snacks." Erza piped in.

"I still have some snacks too." Wendy said, patting her backpack.

"I'll get some more in Limesburg." Lucy told her.

"We can pick some apples in Orchard Valley." Erza said in a dreamy tone. "The reddest, sweetest, juiciest apples grow there."

"They sell apple pies too." Gray added. "We're talking about Orchard Valley, there's apples."

"I can't wait to take a real shower." Lucy smiled. Last night she bathed in the river and it left her chilly all night.

"And a bath." Wendy added.

"Nah," Natsu disagreed. "Any good ol running river suits me just fine."

"Speak for yourself." Erza shook her head.

"Once we split up the treasure," Lucy dreamed. "I'll finally be able to buy back my childhood home."

The group was headed to the Grand Inez Mountain Range bordering the Country of Bellum and the Pergrande Kingdom. Legend said that a hoard of dragon's treasure remained stashed there. The quest itself was to retrieve the Diamond of the Depths. The legendary Diamond was rumored to be over worth over fifty Billion Jewel. A retired treasure hunter had offered to pay double to whoever could retrieve the diamond...he cared nothing about the remaining treasure.

"I'm going to build my own personal river and stock it with tuna." Happy added.

"I think I'll open my own bakery." Erza said.

"That sounds nice." Wendy commented. "I don't have a clue what I'd buy."

"That's more Jewel than I'd know what to do with for sure." Carla sighed.

"I'm just going to put the money into savings." Gray said.

"That's boring." Natsu shook his head.

"Oh yeah flame brain," Gray smirked. "What's your big plan?"

"I don't know yet."

"Pch, you don't even know?" Gray exclaimed.

"You could open a pizza parlor," Happy suggested. "Or start your own circus."

"There's an idea," Gray said, the same smirk on his face. "You've already got the clown act down."

Natsu opened his mouth to say something, but Erza spoke first.

"That is an excellent idea, Happy. I had once dreamt of taming wild animals..." Erza zoned out with a dreamy look on her face.

"I wouldn't mind having an act too." Lucy played along. "Maybe as an acrobatic dancer. Wendy could walk across a tightrope."

"I don't like heights." Wendy disagreed. "But I could make balloon animals for the kids."

"Oh!" Happy exclaimed. "I could have a magic act and Carla could be my assistant."

Carla thought for a moment. "That...doesn't sound like a bad idea at all."

"I knew I was irristable." Happy smiled.

"I don't know where you're getting that idea." Carla mumbled.

"You guys are really running with this circus idea," Natsu grinned. "We've got to have some killer food options."

"Popcorn and cotton candy!" Happy cheered.

"Burgers and ice cream." Natsu added. "Gray, I'll let you sell snow cones."

"There's an idea." Gray said in a sarcastic tone.

"Glorious" Erza grinned.

"Cotton candy snowcones." Wendy drooled.

"We're talking about Natsu opening up a circus." Gray filled Juvia in. "I'm not gonna be a clown. Nope...no way...I- uh. No, not even then."

"Gray's blushing!" Happy pointed out.

"Hey," Lucy said playfully. "Keep it P.G."

"I'll call you tonight when I make it to my room." Gray promised Juvia.

"Oooooh, won't be P.G. then!" Happy chuckled.

Gray gritted his teeth. "Alright, you too. Bye."

-o-

It wasn't until a little after high noon when they had arrived at the Yellow River. It was really only yellow in mid-may during the rainy season. Yellow dirt would wash in with the runoff from the hills North-West of Fiore. Right now the river was a bit green, but they were able to find an area where the bottom was visible. They planned to cross after a thirty minute break.

Lucy practically peeled her boots off.

"Ugh.' She groaned, laying back onto the green grass that covered the riverbank. She alternated lifting her feet up so the cool breeze could ease the pain that miles of walking had brought upon them.

Happy and Natsu were already splashing in the River, supposedly trying to catch fish.

Erza had spread out a blanket, she and the others were passing around food.

"Hiya Princess!"

"Virgo?" Lucy sat up and shot her punishment loving celestial spirit a questioning look. "What's the matter."

Virgo sat at Lucy's feet. "I sensed you were in pain, I came to offer my services."

"It's just sore feet." Lucy laughed nervously. "Nothing I can't handle."

Virgo tickled Lucy's feet.

"Haha, stop it!"

"You haven't summoned me in a while. I thought I'd pop in to check up on you."

"Well, alright." Lucy laid back on the grass.

Virgo went to work massaging her feet.

"Hey Virgo?" Lucy asked tentatively.

"Yes, Princess?"

"Have you heard anything about Aquarius...has she come back yet?"

"I'm afraid not."

Lucy sighed. "It's been over two years."

"My words have made you sad." Virgo said in a hopeful tone. "Perhaps it'd cheer you up if you punished me?"

"No, thanks."

"Aquarius is a very powerful celestial spirit." Loke told Lucy.

"Loke..." Lucy was surprised to see him out as well.

"It makes sense that her key would take a few years to reform again."

"Especially considering that one day in the spirit world is equal to nearly three months in the human world."

"How many more years then?"

"My guess is three or more years."

"Aw, man." Lucy sighed.

Loke sat in the grass beside Lucy. "If I hear anything, you'll be the first to know."

"Thanks Loke."

"No problem, beautiful." Loke pulled out a fan. "You look like you're overheating." He began to fan her.

Lucy grinned. She purposely avoided summoning Horologium so she wouldn't fell high maintenance...and here her other spirits were...making her feel high maintenance.

"You guys are the best." Lucy sighed, drifting off.

When she opened her eyes again she was face to face with a silver mackarel, gasping for air.

"Ah!" Lucy pushed herself back a foot.

Happy burst into a fit of laughter.

Her spirits had gone back to the celestial world.

"That's disgusting!" She shivered.

"Eat me, eat me!" Happy spoke for the fish.

Lucy grabbed her shoes and stormed off to where her friends were sitting.

"We caught thirteen fish." Natsu beamed, he was soaking wet.

"Awesome." Lucy said, not putting any effort into sounding enthusiastic.

"What was Loke saying?" Natsu asked her.

"Oh...he promised to tell me of any news regarding Aquarius's key." Lucy slipped her boots back on.

"Neat," Natsu said, patting Lucy on the back. "Once we hear she's out there, we'll track her down."

Lucy saw the look in Natsu's eye, the hunger for adventure. In this case, a quest to find Aquarius...something he knew mattered dearly to her. Lucy couldn't help the butterflies in her stomach. Her feelings for him had gone on a rampage ever since the morning after her Gala. She exhaled and focused on zipping up her boots.

 _There's no point in having feelings._ She told herself. _He clearly doesn't care for me in the same way. I need to move on, I need to move on._

"I saved you some granola bars." Wendy handed Lucy three packaged bars.

Lucy put two in her lap and opened the third. "Thanks Wendy."

The bar was gone in six bites.

"We should leave in ten minutes." Erza said, twisting the lid to her canteen back on.

Lucy felt incredibly groggy from her short snooze. She leaned back against the wheel of Erza's cart and closed her eyes. It felt so good to rest.

"Hey Gray," Wendy asked. "Could you cool this for me?"

"Sure, kid."

"Thank you."

"We're set to arrive in Limesburg before nightfall." Erza stated. "Tomorrow afternoon we can board the next train to the border."

"Yay..." Natsu and Wendy moped.

-o-

"Lucy, wake up." Natsu called.

"Okay," Lucy mumbled. She couldn't find her strength. She just sat there for a moment, rubbing her eyes.

"Come on," Natsu reached out a hand.

"Thanks." She said as she was effortlessly pulled to her feet.

 _He's so strong._ Her face warmed up. _I can't believe I just thought that._ Lucy quickly walked away from Natsu before she could have anymore thoughts.

"There is a Pub in Limesburg, rumored to have the best pie in Fiore!" Erza chattered. "We must put that rumor to the test!"

"Can children go in there?" Wendy asked.

"You're a teenager." Lucy pointed out. "It shouldn't be a problem."

"There is a dance floor too." Erza beamed. "It would seem the Dancing Demon may make a return."

"How exciting!" Wendy beamed.

"I'll have a chance to show Carla my dance moves." Happy told Natsu.

"What dance moves?" He asked.

"Wait and see."

"I'll stay at the hotel." Carla muttered.

"The landscape is so beautiful!" Lucy said in awe.

Far off, right before the horizon, the Yellow river disappeared into a thick Forrest on their right. To the left were rolling hills at least twenty different shades of green. Straight ahead was a worn path cutting through tall prairie grass with pops of color from the scattered clusters of wild flowers. Bees and butterflies floated busily from one flower to another. Lucy was pleased that they got to walk through this. The sun was beating down on them, but the steady breeze was enough to keep them cool.  
All too soon the buildings belonging to Limesburg appeared on the horizon. They had finally made it to their last stop in Fiore.

Limesburg was just about as busy as Magnolia. The streets were slightly crowded with it's citizens preparing for the evening. Various aromas such as baked bread and cakes tangled in the air. The money in Lucy's pocket burned for the raspberry fruit tart she saw in a window. Before she could convince herself to buy it, a hand had already reached for it and took it out of the window display.

"Damn."

"My father's pastries are to die for." Lucy heard a voice say. "They go quick, and was the last batch of the night."

Lucy looked up at the tall baker's boy standing beside her. "Does he bake them himself?"

"Yeah." He said with a smile. "He grew up in Bellum, and brought the family recipe over with him. He's kept it secret though, I won't even know it until he passes the store on to me."

"I'll have to try again tomorrow then." Lucy took a step away, aiming to catch back up with her friends.

"Are you from out of town?" He asked, probably taking note of her backpack.

"We're from Magnolia, We're actually on our way through Bellum."

"That's a ways away. What brings you out this far?"

Lucy looked through the crowd, she could see the top of Erza's cart getting smaller and smaller as it got farther away. "Uh, we're on a quest. It was nice to meet you." Lucy tried to back away, but he reached out a hand to stop her.

"Wait, are you staying the night?"

"Lucy." Natsu's appeared beside her, glaring at the guys hand touching her shoulder. "Is he bothering you?"

"No, uh Natsu this is..."

"Gerrod, I was just going to say if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." Gerrod stood taller and talked in a deeper voice. Lucy could sense a testosterone boost in the air as both guys sized each other up.

"Actually, do you know where I could find some good hiking boots?"

"I'd go to Wizard and Co. Tell them Gerrod Cole sent you, they should give you a discount..."

"Thanks." Lucy smiled.

"It's the weekend," Gerrod pointed out. "You should check out the Lime Tree Pub. It sounds silly, but it's number one for nightlife. Plus, they're the only place that comes close to my dad's baking with their pies."

"That might be where a friend of ours wanted to go tonight." Lucy looked at Natsu and then back at Gerrod.

"I might see you there then."

Lucy nodded and started off towards Erza. "Thanks for your help."

"Anytime." He grinned, then turned back to finish washing the store's windows.

"This place is great." Natsu commented. "I feel like I'm in Magnolia."

"It feels like North Magnolia." Lucy agreed.

"I wonder where this Wizard and Co. place is at." Natsu said, scoping out the shops. "I need a new sleeping mat."

Lucy looked at the rolled mat tucked into his backpack. It looked filthy.

"Gerrod said we might get a discount."

"Hell yeah." Natsu said. "I'm running low on jewel, We need to hurry up and find this diamond."

"The Diamond of the Depths." Lucy stated. "Did you do any research on this Diamond?"

"Not really, 'sept there's a legend that it's possessed by an angry sea witch who's soul was shoved into it to by some wizard."

"Where did you hear that?"

"Happy read it somewhere."

"...Just how dangerous is this mission?" Lucy asked.

"So dangerous that none of the wizards who went looking for it before us have ever returned."

"Great." Lucy sighed.

"Hey," Natsu nudged her. "Between you, me and Happy, this will be a piece of cake."

"What about the others?"

"I figured an entire hoard of treasure was too much for three people to split...so I got them in on it too."

"Sure, sure." Lucy grinned.

They asked a few passing citizens for directions and after walking a few more blocks Lucy was able to find the door to the shop.

"This place is huge!" Natsu said, turning in a circle. There were various types of hiking gear and tents on display.

Lucy looked around and spotted a sign that read 'Ladies footwear'. "I'll catch up with you."

Lucy was able to find several pairs of shoes that seemed more appropriate for walking in than faux leather fashion boots. She sat down and tried a few pairs on. She had to maneuver around several bandages covering her blisters. She took a peek at her sores, they were looking pretty bad. After trying on six pairs of boots, it was a tie between a pair of cute black knee high hiking boots and a pair of practical hiking boots that were not quite her style, but they did come with foam soles that cushioned her feet.

"I'll just get them both." She decided...but then had second thoughts. "I don't want to have extra weight to carry though..."

She held them up again and thought on it for a bit longer.

"I found a mat." Natsu said, joining back up with her. "I've had my old one for so long, I forgot they could be so cushy."

"That's great." Lucy looked over to see the mat Natsu was holding, it looked like a newer version of the one he already had.

"Down to two choices?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah, I like knee high boots...but these other boots have cushions in them."

"Get them both."

Lucy looked at the price tag. Together it'd be eight-hundred jewel. "It's too expensive to buy both pairs...plus, I don't have room to carry an extra pair."

Natsu took the black boots from Lucy and looked at the price tag. "Well, you can throw out the boots you brought with ya right?"

"I like these boots." Lucy sighed, they were actually looking kind of rough. "You're right."

"Buy those." Natsu nodded toward the cushioned boots. "I'll buy these."

"I can get them." Lucy insisted. "I have enough."

"Nah, you need to save your jewel. We have a long ways to go."

"What about you? You said you were running low on the way here."

"I have more than enough Jewel actually. Besides you can pay me back once we get our reward money."

"Thanks Natsu."

 _How sweet!_

They made their way to the register. They had decided to pay together so they could get the discount on the entire ticket.

"Twelve hundred jewel please." The girl said.

"Gerrod Cole told me to mention he sent us." Lucy told her.

"Oh." Lucy watched the girls face turn pink. "He's the sweetest guy ever. In that case, one thousand jewel."

Natsu handed over the money.

"Would you happen to know how to get to the Poppy Hotel?" Lucy asked her.

"When you walk outside, turn left and keep walking until you get to the fountain shaped like a mermaid. She should be pointing east, follow that direction and continue walking until you see the hotel. It's a ten minute walk from the fountain"

"Thank you." Lucy waved goodbye.

They walked outside and turned left. Before long Lucy's foot sores were becoming borderline unbearable.

"Ow." She sighed. "I'm gonna put the cushy boots on."

"There's a bench." Natsu pointed out.

Lucy sat a space away from a mother holding her baby.

"Good evening." The lady greeted.

"Hello." Lucy answered.

Natsu threw out his old mat and fixed the new one in its place as Lucy tentatively unzipped her boots and kicked them off.

She wasn't surprised to see her sock partly soaked with blood, but disgusted all the same.

"Yuck!" Natsu frowned.

"I have some stuff you can put on those sores." The lady said. She handed Natsu a small bag. "There are sanitized wipes and bandages."

Natsu dropped his gear and got down next to her feet. Lucy peeled the socks and old bandages off her feet. There wasn't too much blood, but her ankles looked pretty raw. It felt strange for Natsu to doctor her, but part of her was pleased with his initiative. He wiped around the raw skin and then patted it dry with some clean gauze. Then he put a piece of gauze on the raw part and wrapped her foot up with the bandage. Some of the santizer got into the sore, Lucy gritted her teeth.

"When did you learn wound care." She grimaced.

"I watched Erza fix me up enough times to pick up on a few things."

Lucy slipped her socks over the bandages and then put on her new shoes.

"Ah..." She sighed. "These are great." Natsu handed the bag back to the Lady.

"Thank you." Lucy said to the lady.

"He's a catch." The woman winked at Lucy.

"Yep." Natsu stretched.

Lucy rolled her eyes and headed towards the fountain. Natsu followed a pace behind her.

 _I could get used to this._ Lucy thought. The two of them traveling together, hearing people say how cute of a couple they were. They were even beginning to act like a couple, the past year Natsu had spent a lot of time at Lucy's apartment while she finished her novel... they ate nearly every meal together and he even kept a few of his things at her place. She allowed him to crash on her couch from time to time.

In addition, Natsu was being really sweet to her today. Maybe she could finally begin to hope...

They had just made it to the fountain when a boy around Wendy's age bumped into Lucy.

"Sorry miss." He said, spinning around her in a hurry.

Lucy had barely heard the sound of keys jingling when Natsu dropped his gear and gave chase to the kid.

"Hey!" He shouted after the kid, who was effortlessly dodging unsuspecting pedestrians.

Lucy reached for her keys and was startled when she realized they were missing. She was about to run after them too, but she didn't want to leave Natsu's things unguarded. She watched helplessly as Natsu confronted the kid who quickly turned on Natsu. She could see them fighting in the street. He was a pretty good fighter...but nothing compared to Natsu. In a blink of an eye Natsu had the kid cornered with one hand stretched out towards the kid while the other hand was sporting a fireball.

"Give me the keys, Thief." Natsu ordered.

The kid stood still, sizing Natsu up.

"I don't have any keys."

"I saw you take them." The flame in his hand intensified.

The kid didn't even flinch. With a scowl he reached into his pocket and pulled out Lucy's keys.

"Here." He began to hand them over, but dropped them before Natsu could grab them. Lucy watched in anger as they fell towards the ground.

In a blur Natsu knocked the kids feet out from under him. He hit the ground before the keys did. Natsu picked them up and headed towards Lucy. Laughter erupted all around them. Natsu dusted them off before handing them back.

"That was over fast" Lucy said, clipping them back onto her belt.

"Bastard." The boy spat.

"You're a pretty good fighter." Natsu complimented over his shoulder. "But if I catch you stealing from my friends again, I'll burn your eyebrows off!"

The boy stood and shoved himself through the laughing crowd.

Lucy tried not to laugh, causing air to noisily go out her nose.

"What?" Natsu asked with a satisfied grin.

"I'll burn your eyebrows off?"

Natsu cracked his knuckles. "Someone's gotta teach him a lesson."

Lucy bumped into Natsu playfully. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

Natsu avenging her would never get old.

The sun was getting closer and closer to the horizon. It'd be getting dark soon. Lucy thought wistfully of the mermaid fountain.

"If Aquarius were here," Lucy sighed. "She would threaten my life for letting my keys get stolen."

"Probably."

"I really should find a better way to keep them safe...I'm practically helpless without them."

"I wouldn't say helpless." Natsu jested.

"Gee, thanks...no, you're right."

"You could always pick up some makers magic." He suggested.

"Yeah..."

"Maybe I could teach you a thing or two...maybe even Gray or Wendy."

"I would be down for that"

"I forgot I learned some of Mira's transformation magic ..." Natsu said with a cheeky grin. "I wonder if I can still..."

 **Poof.**

Lucy looked herself in the eye and then gawked at the exact copy of her chest, his vest wasn't enough to cover her assets properly.

"Natsu!" Lucy lept over and pulled his vest together. "We are in _**public**_ , damn it!"

Lucy watched as Natsu misused Lucy's facial muscles to laugh in the most obnoxious, un-Lucylike way. She had to move with him in order to keep his vest steady enough so she could button him up.

"Please change back." She failed to get the top buttons to latch so her last resort was to press up against him.

"There you are!" Gray's voice made it's way to their ears. Happy flew in too.

Natsu turned back into himself, he was still laughing.

"Oh," Happy chuckled. "I think we're interrupting something."

Lucy was still holding on to Natsu, she let go and gave him a shove.

"You just flashed the entire town!" She scolded. "With my body!"

"Ah, it's not the first time you've been naked in public." Natsu shrugged, rubbing his chest. "Boobs seem like such a pain, like carrying another backpack."

"It's not the second time either." Gray pointed out.

"Or the third." Happy piped in.

"That doesn't mean I care for it." Lucy argued. "Don't ever do that again." She turned on her heels and marched in the direction of the hotel.

The boys followed behind her, eventually matching her pace. She didn't pay attention to what they were saying, they seemed to be getting along. They made it back to the hotel without any further distractions. She met up with the other girls and took turns taking their showers. Lucy laid out her bag on the bed and dug through to find some clothes for dinner. Happy had packed her entire dresser. She decided wistfully to leave some things behind to make room...but she figured that could wait for the morning. Lucy put on denim shorts over some shredded black tights and a tank top. Cancer had styled her hair slightly wavy. Wendy wore a sundress with sandals and Erza had her skirt and button up blouse.

"Let's go eat some pie!"

They met Natsu at the bottom of the stairs, he looked like he took a shower too.

"Where's Gray?" Erza asked.

"Talking to Juvia." Happy said in an exaggerated tone. "They started talking all lovey dovey, we had to get out of there!"

Erza smiled, and started walking towards the door. "They've become quite the pair."

"I'm gonna have to listen to them talk all night long." Natsu sighed.

"That'll be you someday." Happy smirked. "I'll have to move out then."

"That's highly unlikely." Natsu countered. "I'm not made for that kind of junk."

"You're gonna end up like Gildarts then." Happy shook his head. "One day you'll find out you have a love child and you won't remember who the mom is."

"Gildarts has it pretty good." Natsu shrugged.

His words made Lucy go cold all over. It made sense, if he really felt that way...it made sense why he never made a move. It seemed like they'd only ever be friends, nothing more. The thought crushed Lucy. If she didn't have a chance with Natsu... she'd have to keep looking. However, could she ever find a guy that measured up to Natsu? Lucy bit her lip and noticed Erza glancing over at her. Lucy looked back at Erza who then quickly looked away.

 _She was reading my expression._ Lucy thought with a start. _Great._

They sat together at the bar and looked at the menu. Despite her crushing mood...Lucy was really looking forward to some food other than fish.

"They only have one fish option." Happy sighed.

"You like salmon." Natsu pointed out.

"I guess"

"Twelve different options for pie." Erza cheered. "But which is the best?"

"I want to try the lemon meringue." Wendy decided. "What pie sounds good to you, Natsu?"

Natsu stared at the dessert menu. "I'll get one of each."

"You've never been one to pass up on sweets." Erza smiled.

"Lucy doesn't pass up on desserts either." Happy said happily. "Trust me, I know."

Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Happy," Natsu said. "Lucy's in great shape."

Lucy looked at Natsu, was he complimenting her?

"Plus, her clothes are always tight enough that if she gained any weight we'd notice."

"And cue my insecurities." Lucy muttered.

When it was her turn, Lucy placed an order for chicken fried steak. The dance floor was crowded with attractive couples. She really wanted to be out there too. Lucy looked around the room. There were tons of attractive guys her age just standing around. Perhaps one of them would ask her to dance. Flirting with some hotties sounded like the perfect way to spend her last night in Fiore. Lucy felt her heart flutter when she saw a familiar face walk through the door. He looked around the room and smiled when he saw her.

Lucy waved Gerrod down. He was actually looking pretty hot. "I was hoping I'd see you here." Lucy said before taking a sip of her drink.

"Is this seat taken?" He asked.

"No, but I was hoping you might ask me to dance."

Gerrod grinned. "I actually never caught your name?"

"Lucy."

He held his hand out to her. "Lucy, would you care to dance?"

She grabbed his hand and they made their way to the middle of the dancing couples. He started out by spinning her and then pulling her close. The dancing was faster than she was used to, but she was able to keep up. He smelled amazing, like sugary musk. The music was pretty energetic, and Lucy was really enjoying herself. She looked over at where her friends were seated. Erza was talking to a guy and Wendy was laughing with Natsu. She saw Gray come in and wave down the bartender.

"Did you get your boots?" He asked.

"Yes, and your discount saved us a couple hundred Jewel. Thanks again."

"No problem."

"How do you know the girl at Wizard and Co.?" Lucy asked.

"We helped cater her wedding." He told her. "

"Was it a big wedding?"

"Not a huge one, around a hundred guests."

"Wow."

"So are you only staying one night?" He asked.

"Yeah, we have a train to catch at noon."

"Well, I better make sure you have a good time then."

"I'd like that."

He spun her out again and the song ended.

"Did you order food?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"I think they brought it out, go ahead and eat then you should let me show you around."

Lucy agreed and they walked back to the bar, hand in hand.

Erza was gone when Lucy got back.

"She's dancing with a guy" Wendy told her and then looked at Gerrod and Lucy's hands. Gerrod let go and pulled Lucy's chair out for her.

"Gerrod this is Wendy."

Gerrod shook Wendy's hand. "Hey, little lady."

"Pleasure to meet you."

Across the bar a group of giggling girls were looking Gray and Natsu's direction.

"Like wise. Your parents are letting you travel all the way to Bellum?" Gerrod asked.

Wendy smiled sadly. "My parents have been dead for years."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

"I don't remember them." Wendy said. "So, I can't really be too sad."

"Who takes care of you?"

"My guild."

"We're a part of the Fairytail guild in Magnolia."

Gerrod looked like he was about to fall off his stool. "You fought The Black Wizard, and the dragon and E.N.D."

Lucy threw a quick look at Natsu, who was clearly listening in. Gray looked over at them and then at Natsu. Happy looked a little nervous.

"Who's this?" Gray asked Natsu.

"I don't know, some guy Lucy dragged with her."

"I'm Gerrod," He shook Gray's hand.

"Gray."

"Did you fight the demons and dragons too then."

"Yeah. We had a little one on one." Gray smirked. "I knocked him around bit."

"The hell you did." Natsu growled. "You were outmatched from the start."

"Bullshit."

"That's amazing...You're Lucy Heartfilia then?"

"Yeah." Lucy said, cutting into her food. She's was starting to regret mentioning the guild.

"A celestial wizard, that's really neat. Those must be your keys I saw on your hip."

Lucy nodded, chewing her food.

"How did you defeat The Black Wizard, and E.N.D? I read they were indestructable."

"I didn't." Lucy took a drink of her water.

"You fought some demons though, right?"

"Yeah." Lucy took a bite of her potatos.

Gerrod opened his mouth, but then closed it.

Lucy felt full after three more bites.

"I get the feeling you don't really like talking about what happened a year ago...I'm sorry if I opened old wounds."

Lucy wiped her mouth and stepped off the stool.

"How about that tour?" Lucy grinned, she threw down a couple jewel to pay for her meal.

"Don't stay out too late." Wendy called.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure she gets back before midnight." Gerrod promised before chugging his water.

"We have an early train to catch." Natsu pointed out.

"It leaves at noon." Lucy ran her fingers through her hair.

"It takes you three extra hours to get ready." He argued...rather accurately.

"Yeah, and?" Lucy walked towards the door. She trailed her fingers around Gerrod's back and then motioned him to follow. He grinned and got up out of his seat after her.

"I'll be at the inn later." Lucy shouted to Wendy, taking a quick read of Natsu's face.

 _I can't believe I've resorted to trying to make him jealous. It wouldn't work anyway._

"Do you like ice cream?" Gerrod asked. "I know of a good place down the road."

"I'm in."

-o-

"So." Lucy began, "Were you born in Fiore or Bellum?"

"Fiore." Gerrod answered. "My parents were born in Bellum though."

Lucy took a bite of her strawberry ice cream.

Gerrod wiped his fingers on a napkin. "We go visit every Summer, my mother's parents are still alive."

"But not your Dad's?"

"No, but she is fifteen years younger than my dad so it makes a bit of sense."

"Why the age gap?"

"An arranged marriage, she was the youngest of six sisters."

Lucy frowned, she didn't know arranged marriages were still a thing.

"They don't really practice that anymore." Gerrod told her. "I heard Eastern Bosco still does some arranged marriages, they're a bit on the impoverished side though. It's kind of a third world nation."

"Fiore's pretty advanced according to what I've heard." Lucy said.

"That's true. We're number one in the East for magic innovation. Alakitasia is catching up."

"Oh yeah?" Lucy thought of the Wizards she came face to face with last year. The Spriggan 12 were incredibly powerful.

"They were led by the Black Wizard for some time."

"Yeah, he built that country you know."

"He was pretty ancient, right?"

"Four hundred years old."

"Wow, how do you know?"

"I-uh...I was pretty close to the action."

"What happened to the evil ones, like, how were they defeated."

"I don't know what happened to Zeref, er, how he was defeated. Those who were taught Dragon Slayer Magic took down Acnologia, and E.N.D ceased to exist."

"What role did your pink haired friend play in all of this?"

"He's a dragon slayer, so is Wendy."

"Wendy too?"

"Mhmm."

"She's so young."

"She's a tough one."

"So..., you're not with that pink haired guy? Natsu?"

Lucy looked around the room nervously. "What gave you that idea?"

"Just how he acted when I was talking to you earlier. Like he didn't want you talking to other guys."

Lucy forced a smile. "You've got it all wrong. We're just friends."

"Gotcha."

They both ate their ice cream in silence for a moment.

"Are there many Wizards in Limesburg?"

"We have a notable population, but we're not quite known for it."

"You never tried to learn any skills?"

"I know some neat card tricks...but no, I only ever practiced baking.

"You're planning on taking over your dad's business then?"

"Yeah, all my older brothers moved on and found different careers. I know it'd mean the world to him if I ran it one day."

"My friend Erza wants to own a bakery, when we return home with our reward money."

"What exactly is this quest?"

"We're looking for a lost hoard of Dragon's treasure.'

'Like gold and jewels?"

"Who knows. Supposedly there is a Legendary Jewel called the Diamond of the Depths, a retired treasure collector is offering twice it's worth to have it delivered to him."

"There is a story around that diamond." Gerrod said thoughtfully. "I can't remember exactly...but it's a sad story. I remember that much."

"A sea witch?"

"Yeah..."

"She was trapped inside?"

"By her lover I think."

"Ouch."

Gerrod chewed what remained of his cone. Lucy wiped up the drops of melted ice cream that had fallen on the table. She sensed Gerrod's gaze.

"What?" She asked, blushing slightly.

"Your eyes are gorgeous." He told her, taking his time to look into them.

"Thank you."

"Let's get out of here."

They spent the next hour and a half walking through the streets, hand in hand. Lucy had decided to let her guard down a bit. She was behind on romance and figured she might play catch up a bit. She flirted here and there, doing what she could to enjoy herself before their quest got serious. Eventually she began to recognize her surroundings... they were close to the Hotel.

 _What if he wants to come in? Are we going to kiss? I've never kissed a guy before._

Lucy dug her nails into her palm to settle her nerves. Did she really want Gerrod to be her first kiss?

"I guess you need to go in now?" Gerrod said in a soft tone.

"Yeah, I want to enjoy sleeping in a bed while I can."

"You could stay at my place if you wanted?"

Lucy laughed nervously. "I already paid for the hotel room."

"Ah, I see your point."

Lucy leaned against the side of the building. The corner was poorly lit, but she could see Gerrod looking at her. Lucy thought about Natsu, and how she'd rather be looked at by him this way.

"How long do you think this quest will take?" Gerrod said, leaning beside her.

"We don't know, it's never been completed before."

"Damn, how many tough quests have you been on?"

"This is the first of its kind, although we have seen our fair share of danger."

Gerrod laughed and picked up Lucy's hand. He ran his thumb across her palm. "I'd never guess these were the hands of a fighter."

"Why's that."

"They're so...soft."

Lucy was quiet, unsure of what to say.

"I wonder if your lips are as soft?"

Gerrod turned to put his hand on the wall behind Lucy and with his other he pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear and leaned in. Ever hopless, Lucy's mind kept thinking of Natsu. She imagined that it was his breath ticking her nose.

His lips brushing against hers.

His mouth opening hers.

His tongue on hers.

His chest pressing against her chest.

His hands on her back and waist, pulling her closer.

It was Natsu she wanted to breathe in.

Instead it was Gerrod, all Gerrod. Lucy felt sick to her stomach. She wanted to be with Natsu right now, in fact she'd rather be anywhere but here. It was her first kiss, and she didn't even feel fully present for it.  
With a start, Lucy forced herself out of her head...

 _I have to move on._

She followed Gerrod's lead and put her hand against his chest. Gerrod stopped kissing her for a second to catch his breath. "You're pretty good at this."

"Am I?"

He leaned down and kiss the edge of her jaw. Her thoughts went to Natsu again and she tried to shove him out. Gerrod moved his lips around, kissing hungrily. His hands slid down and he lifted her up, using the wall behind her to keep her pinned.

It kind of felt good, but Lucy began to feel rushed. Her heart raced in her chest. Next thing she knew, Lucy was looking through a glass plane.

"Horologium!. She exclaimed." Horologium said.

"Lucy, what-is this one of your spirits?"

"Yes." She replied, relieved." Horologium said.

Lucy face palmed,

"Is everything okay, why are you in there?"

"He must have sensed that I... She paused, trying to think of a suffecient explanation." Horologium said.

"I don't know." She sighed." Horologium said.

"I guess I better go. She decided." Horologium said.

"Uh, okay." Gerrod said, confused. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, Goodnight. She bid." Horologium said.

Gerrod watched as Horologium walked Lucy into the Hotel. Lucy leaned back against the inside of the clock and sighed.

 _So much for trying to move on._

Lucy sent her friend away before going up the elevator, she was going to head for her room...but decided she needed some air. Sapped, Lucy went to the top floor and then climbed the stairs to the roof and walked out. The moon was rising in the distance. Lucy could still feel Gerrod on her, her head still hurt where he had tugged her hair and where he had grabbed to lift her up. She could taste him still, even. Lucy groaned and leaned over the barrier. It was cool to the touch, it felt good for a moment. Lucy replayed the moment in her head and then groaned again. Her neck felt sore. she hoped there weren't any marks...how would she explain them.

 _Natsu might think..._

"It doesn't matter what he thinks." Lucy punched the wall in frustration.

Lucy just wanted to scream, instead she slid down against the corner of the barrier and leaned back. She bounced her leg to get rid of her excess energy. Lucy felt like she did something wrong by going out with Gerrod, like she betrayed her feelings for Natsu by kissing another guy.

 _He's all I could think of the whole time._

Lucy groaned and bumped her head lightly against the wall.

"I really need to get it together." Lucy sighed.

She sat like that until she felt like she had been away for too long. Lucy didn't want one of her friends to find her like this, especially Natsu.

She pulled herself to her feet and made it back to the stairs and then into the elevator where she got off on the fourth floor.

"I miss you too." She heard Gray tell Juvia over the phone when she was walking through the hallway. His voice was coming from an open hotel room.

"I miss you more."

"I miss your eyes and your smile and-"

 _Your eyes are gorgeous_ She heard Gerrod say. The compliment carried no weight. Lucy realized. It was sincere enough, but it meant absolutely nothing.

Lucy sighed and slid her room key into the slot.

 _I'm gonna waste away._

She opened the door and the first thing she noticed was Natsu sitting indian style on her bed. Wendy sat across from him on hers with a less than amused look on her face.

Lucy saw the steam coming from the bathroom and was able to see that Erza was taking a bath... with the door wide open.

Natsu looked up at her but she quickly averted her gaze. She wasn't expecting him to be here.

"Lucy!" Happy called. "The funniest thing happened and you totally missed it!"

"What?"

Wendy shoved a pillow on her face and groaned.

"Clearly it's not funny for everyone." Carla huffed.

"What happened?" Lucy jumped on her bed and laid down on her stomach, not yet having the energy to remove Natsu.

"That boy who stole your keys earlier was trying to put the moves on Wendy." Natsu said.

"Oh." Lucy said with raised eyebrows.

"Natsu scared him away." Happy laughed.

"It was humiliating!" Wendy said into her pillow.

"You can do better than a lousy pickpocket." Lucy sniffed. "He stole my keys and then dropped them on the ground."

"I didn't know all that." Wendy sighed, falling back on the bed and holding the pillow to her stomach.

"Sounds like Natsu was just looking out for you." Erza called from the other room.

"What did he say to you?" Lucy inquired.

"He just...uh, he asked where I was from and we were having a decent conversation...I was so bored...Erza was dancing with guys and Natsu and Gray were arguing."

"We weren't arguing the entire time." Natsu said defensively.

"Most of the time." Happy corrected.

Lucy heard Erza pull the plug on the bath.

"I thought you were getting close to Romeo?" Lucy pointed out.

Wendy turned red. "Lucy..." She whined.

"Romeo." Carla laughed. "That boy has no game nor any real wits about him."

"What." Natsu laughed. "Romeo has plenty of game."

"He's nearly as clueless as you are." Carla shot back.

Lucy bit her lip and suffered in silence.

Natsu sat quietly, probably trying to figure out what Carla meant by that.

"Lucy." Happy was looking around at her neck. "Did you get punched in the neck?"

"No, why?" Lucy felt around her neck.

"You have a couple bruises." Natsu poked one of them. "They're pretty weird looking."

Just as it dawned on Lucy, Erza was announcing it to the room.

"Those are hickies!"

Lucy was mortified.

"Lucy let Gerrod suck on her neck!" Happy exclaimed.

"Shut it, cat!" Lucy sat up and pulled a cover blanket around her shoulders.

"Exactly what have you been up to tonight?" Erza grinned mischievously.

"He kissed you?" Wendy beamed.

"Clearly." Happy said.

"Did he gaze into your eyes?" Erza asked.

Lucy was fully aware of Natsu next to her, she decided to play the card in her hand.

"Yes and yes. It was super romantic."

"You just met him today-." Natsu grumbled.

"So?"

"-And your already swapping spit?"

"Just how much time," Erza began, brushing her hair a little too casually. "Do you think is appropriate before two people can kiss?"

"More than a day."

"A week?" Erza pushed.

Lucy chuckled. "How long, exactly, did you know Happy before the two of you 'swapped spit'?"

A look of disgust passed over Happy's face. "Hey, you're the one who shoved me into his face."

"I guess that's true."

"All because you were too afraid to kiss Natsu!."

"I wasn't afraid. It just wasn't-"

"-Appropriate because we barely knew each other." Natsu filled in.

"You knew each other for a little over a year then." Happy said with a flick of his tail.

"Is that still not long enough?" Erza asked, still pressing him.

Lucy had so many regrets in this moment.

"You should actually kiss a girl before you share your opinion." Gray smirked.

Lucy covered her entire head with the blanket, now the whole team was here.

"I have kissed a girl." Natsu said, falling back onto the bed.

Lucy's eyes widened.

"Lisanna doesn't count." Happy said. "She suckered you into kissing her."

"Nah, she totally counts."

"Color me impressed." Erza said, sliding into bed. Wendy followed suit.

Lucy pulled the sheet of her head and tied her hair into a bun.

"What's wrong with your neck?" Gray asked.

"Gerrod-." Lucy covered happy's mouth. "Alright, we've had a long day...bedtime!"

"Goodnight." Gray shut the door behind him.

"Goodnight!" They called after him.

"Natsu, you too."

Natsu snored quietly.

"Natsu? No one falls asleep that fast Natsu!"

He continued to snore.

Happy climbed over and lifted one of his eye lids. "He's out."

Defeated Lucy went into the bathroom to get ready for bed. He was in the same position when she came back out.

"He hasn't moved." Wendy told Lucy.

"He's such a pain." Lucy grumbled. Not wanting him to be cold, she grabbed an extra blanket that was sitting on the dresser. Lucy draped it over them, making sure Happy got covered too.

"Thanks Lucy." Happy said.

"Welcome" Lucy muttered and she slid into bed. She was able to turn her body away from Natsu, but due to lack of spare room she had tucked a foot under his back.

"Did you have fun with Gerrod?" Wendy asked.

Lucy thought for a moment, she had felt bad for kissing another guy...but knowing that Natsu had kissed another girl made her feel a bit better. All and all, it was a good first experience with romance.

"Yeah, it was great."

"Do you think it'll go anywhere?" Erza asked.

"No." Lucy answered truthfully. "He's too...tame."

"Yeah, that was my thoughts about the guy I danced with." Erza said.

"I'm pretty sure he was in a gang." Carla pointed out.

"Not quite my type."

"Hm."

The last light turned off and not long after Lucy was opening her eyes to a new day.

-  
 **Hope you're enjoying the story so far, if you have any suggestions feel free to message me. See ya next time.**


	3. To the Border

The first thing Lucy noticed when she opened her eyes was that she was incredibly nauseous. She rolled onto her back and tried to will the feeling away. In mere seconds she had determined with upmost certainty that the chicken fried steak was to blame. She could just feel it. She rose up and sat on the edge of her bed. Natsu was gone. He must have put the blanket back over her before he left. With the little bit of light coming in through the hotel window, Lucy could see Happy curled up at the bottom of the bed, still fast asleep.

Lucy's throat began to get that pre-puke feeling.

"Ugh," She groaned, pushing her way into the bathroom. She stood over the toilet. There was no getting around it, all she could do was wait.

"Blegh-."

She threw up her dinner and dessert. Just when Lucy was sure she was empty she threw up again and again.

 _I'm supposed to ride on a train today._

Lucy flushed the toilet and sat down on the lid. She shook uncontrollably for a minute. It felt like all the blood had drained from her face. She sat still for a while, holding her head in her hands. Once she was sure she wasn't going to throw up again she went to go lay back down.

-0-

"Hey, we're gonna go eat breakfast?" Wendy told Lucy. It was much brighter in the room now.

"Okay." Lucy frowned, her stomach felt so sore. "I think I'm gonna sleep a bit longer...I don't feel good."

"Stomach ache?" Erza asked.

"I think the food from the bar made me sick."

"You should really try to eat something, like bread or something." Erza pressed.

"Could you maybe bring me something back, I don't feel like moving."

"Sure." Wendy said, grabbing her bag.

"We'll wake you back up after breakfast," Erza said on her way to the door. "You wanted to get groceries, remember?"

"Yeah." Lucy agreed. "Thanks."

"See ya in a bit. Are you coming Happy?"

"Nah," Happy murmured with his eyes shut.

They closed the door behind them.

Lucy curled back up and drifted off.

The sound of her mattress springs contracting woke Lucy back up. Natsu must have came back.

"How did you get a key to the room?" She asked with out lifting her head.

"Erza. I brought some food for ya."

"No fair." Lucy said in a small voice. "It's my turn to give you food."

"The next two times are on you then" Natsu reasoned.

Many times, back in Magnolia, Natsu would bring her breakfast. Even though a majority of those times he was uninvited, Lucy was grateful enough to overlook the intrusion. For a while she was so absorbed in writing her novel that Lucy often skipped meals. His gesture led her to start buying enough food that she could offer him something to eat too. Lucy was touched when she began to see that he was, in a way, taking care of her.

 ** _I'm not made for that junk._**

Natsu had said. He was a lot better than he gave himself credit for. Even still, he wasn't opposed at all to being compared to Gildarts.

The mattress returning back to normal pulled Lucy out of her thoughts. She didn't want him to leave.

"Hey,"

"Hm?"

"Where are you going?"

"I was gonna take a shower."

"You can use our bathroom if you want."

"You can shower together." Happy suggested, half asleep.

Lucy mustered enough strength to kick him.

"Ouch!"

"That's not what I meant."

"Hmmm." Natsu went into their bathroom and moved some stuff around. "You got anything that doesn't smell like flowers?"

"I don't think so." Lucy frowned, sitting up. It felt like she was recovering from a thousand sit ups.

On the bed lay four blueberry muffins, a bottle of orange juice, two bananas, an orange and some sausage wrapped in a greasy napkin.

"I'll pass." Natsu shut the bathroom door behind him.

He walked back over and sat on her bed. Lucy happily made room for him.

"Are you gonna be okay to ride the train?" Natsu asked. "Fresh air might make ya feel better."

Lucy was chewing a piece of muffin. She covered her mouth, "I'd rather be sick on a train."

"Speak for yourself." Natsu sighed.

Lucy thought for a moment. "It's been over two years since Wendy used the troia spell on you, right?"

"Something like that."

"Maybe it'll have some affect this time."

"Maybe..." Natsu frowned. "Wouldn't do us no good if half the team was sick."

"I think I'll be okay from here out, it's just a small stomach bug." Lucy took a few sips of the orange juice. So far so good.

"So, we'll be in Silver tonight." Lucy smiled. "This will be the farthest I've ever gone."

Natsu picked at a small thread on his pants. "Yeah, me too...unless you count time travel."

Lucy stopped chewing for a moment. He was mentioning his past, something he never did anymore ever since learning his true backstory. If it was brought up all they talked about was the facts, never about how it personally affected him or how it made him feel. Lucy mentally kicked herself for always being too afraid to ask. She was only worried it would upset him. Since it was his comment, Lucy took the opportunity to hear his thoughts.

"Do you," Lucy asked, inspecting the muffin."Count time travel?"

Natsu frowned. "Kinda...I was born in Fiore, but before Fiore was Fiore."

Lucy smiled at his wording.

"I traveled four hundred years...into the future."

Lucy could tell this was the first time he had said it aloud. She pushed a bit more.

"Do you have any memories?" Lucy asked. "Before Igneel?"

Natsu shook his head, staring blankly into space. He was clearly lost in his thoughts. Finally he took a deep breath and exhaled. "Just me and Igneel."

"What was it like, being raised by a dragon?"

Natsu half smiled. "It was pretty badass, what was it like being raised by humans?"

Lucy laughed breathily, searching for an answer. "Good, until my mom died. Then it was just sad and lonely."

They were both quiet for about a minute.

"I never felt alone with Igneel," Natsu said at last. "Just me and Dad, he's all I got for childhood memories."

"That's pretty neat," Lucy said thoughtfully. "That your memories with Igneel are from four hundred years ago. Kinda like a window to the past."

Her words put a smile on his face. "Yeah, it is pretty neat when you put it like that." His smile lasted for a few seconds longer until another thought caused it to fade away.

"What are you thinking about?" Lucy asked softly.

Natsu blinked and looked at her. "I just..."

"Just what?" Lucy said.

"I'm an old man."

Lucy gaped at him.

"I'm older than Gildarts, and _the_ old man."

Lucy chuckled.

"I'm ancient! Old enough to.. to be your great, great, great, great...great, great, grandfather."

"You're not old though." Lucy shook her head. "You were just born a very, very, long time ago."

Natsu shook his head in disbelief.

"Have you ever tried to do the math?" Lucy asked. "To figure out your age?"

"...The best I could come up with, is between four hundred-twenty five- and four hundred- twenty seven." Natsu slouched a bit. "But even that ain't accurate...I don't even know whether or not I can add in the fact that I died."

Lucy jolted at that. "When did you die?!"

Natsu crumpled the sheet where his hand was. "I died when- supposedly a dragon...killed me and my real parents... My _brother_." Natsu acted like the word 'brother' left a nasty taste in his mouth. "Zeref-He used magic to bring me back..."

Lucy saw Natsu shudder and felt the urge to touch him. However, she couldn't make herself move.

"Well, I'm glad he did." Lucy said earnestly. "Otherwise we'd never have met."

Natsu smiled halfheartedly, but it quickly faded. Lucy observed him in silence, trying to read his emotions. He looked so vulnerable, even for an immensely powerful dragon slayer. Lucy was dying to get inside his head. She knew there was more under the surface, so many thoughts and feelings that he kept to himself. Lucy didn't notice that he had caught her staring, they were looking back at each other now.

"What?" He asked.

Lucy swallowed the lump in her throat. "I...you never talk about your past. It's been an entire year...I've been worrying about y-." Natsu was frustratingly unreadable, he just stared her straight at her.

Lucy felt her face heat up. "I mean, I-" Lucy sqeeezed her hands into fists. "It's just nice to hear you open up...about...it."

 _I didn't know you died!_ Lucy yelled inside her head.

Natsu reached around to rub the back of his neck nervously. "Well yeah, you're pretty easy to talk to...I guess I never saw a time to bring any of it up before now."

Lucy was speechless. Crazy how hearing 'You're pretty easy to talk to' gave her more feelings than "Your eyes are so beautiful."

"Hey Lucy?" Natsu asked, looking down.

Lucy stopped breathing. She looked at him, waiting for him to speak.

Lucy heard the door unlock. The girls were back. What was Natsu going to say?

"Are you feeling better?" Wendy asked.

"Uh, yeah." Lucy said, disappointed.

"Are you going to eat that?" Natsu asked finally, pointing at the greasy sausage.

Lucy gave Natsu a quick incredulous look. She frowned and handed the food over. He took it and stood up to leave.

"We all better finish getting packed now." He said. "We have three hours until the train leaves."

"I'm pretty much ready to go." Wendy said, pulling her bag up on the bed.

"Catch ya later." Natsu closed the door behind him.

 _He always does that!_ Lucy frowned. _We have a tender moment and he 'Hey Lucy's me...gets my hopes up and then says something completely unrelated!_

Lucy piled what remained of her breakfast on the night stand.

 _Because he doesn't have feelings for you_. She pointed out to herself.

Lucy numbly got out of bed and took one last shower before heading out. Any thoughts or feelings about Natsu were quickly shoved aside.

Afterwards Lucy pulled her clothes out on the bed and sorted through what was necessary and what could go. Happy was telling the truth when he said they had packed all her underwear. Most of this had cost her quite a bit...but for the quest it was just taking up space. With a heavy heart more than half of her good underwear went in the throw away pile. Happy rolled onto his back and mumbled in his sleep. Her heart melted a bit, he was pretty cute for a pain in the ass.

"I'm so excited!" Wendy beamed. "Do you really think there will be actual treasure?"

"I'm sure there is a mountain of gold and silver." Erza told her. "There's countless jewels and chests full of forgotten coins!"

"We're gonna be rich!" Happy cheered, finally waking up.

"How are going to bring it all back?" Lucy asked.

"By train." Erza responded. "I arranged for extra protection on the return trip."

"Another guild?" Wendy asked.

"Kind of." Erza smiled.

"Jellal?" Lucy asked.

"I offered him a cut." Erza shrugged. "He was all for it."

"All for it?" Lucy asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

Erza smiled sadly. "I was surprised he agreed. Jellal has kept a wall between us ever since his past came back to him. Every time I think it's coming down, I'm wrong."

Lucy folded up a shirt and dropped it in her suitcase. "Maybe it has been coming down this whole time, slowly, but surely."

"Perhaps." Erza was organizing her makeup bag, which was odd for her to have as she seldom wore any. "He still keeps his distance...he, told me he had a fiancee a couple of years back."

Lucy felt her heart stop. "So-"

"He was lying about it, that was very obvious. Still, he never admitted the truth. I think once he does that'll be my sign he's coming around."

"Why don't you talk to him?" Wendy asked, sitting on her bed.

Erza threw away a bottle of lip gloss. "Jellal needs more time to overcome his guilt for the tower of heaven. As long as he feels that guilt, he'll never move forward. Crime Sorciere is his path right now, he's working with the others to try and rebuild the lives of those affected by him when he was possessed. I think, once he starts to do some good, he'll come around. I've said everything I can to him, trust me...he just has to go his own way."

"Have you thought about going with him?" Wendy asked next.

Erza shook her head. "I have my own path too, as much as I want to be with Jellal...I have a long ways to go too. Instead of pining after him I want to focus on improving my skills and seeing more of the world."

Lucy figured she could relate this back to her and Natsu. She had spent the last couple of days heart sick when she could have been looking towards improving her skills.

 _I will focus on myself, and our quest and I have faith that all else will fall into place._

"Right..." Lucy agreed.

 _That's what I'll do too, I need to learn different magic types and focus on the quest. Also, I need the reward so I can get my childhood home back._

"When did you see him last?" Lucy asked as she began to pack the clothes destined for the trash in an overused sack.

"A few days before we departed Magnolia."

Lucy frowned. "How did I become the last to know about this quest?"

"We wanted to let you focus on your success." Erza told her. "It was your big moment, Natsu and I agreed not to let anything take the attention away from that."

"Oh."

"He was gonna tell you in the morning," Happy said. "But you ended up getting wasted."

"I wasn't-" Lucy remembered pulling her dress off and making Natsu dress her...and then trapping him on the bed with her. She shuddered. "Forget it."

"Change me Natsu!" Happy mocked.

Lucy could sense Wendy and Erza's surprise.

"Change me,?" Erza repeated, amused.

"Natsu threw her on the bed and."

"Horologium!" Lucy cried, it was the first thing she could think of.

Happy gaped at Lucy from the inside of the clock. His look of surprise melted into something absolutely terrifying.

"Lucy ripped her clothes off and then she was like, I'm so cold, sleep with me Natsu. He recounted most inaccurately." Horologium said.

Lucy felt like she had been hit by an etherion blast.

Wendy and Erza stood with their mouths open.

Speechless, She waved her hands and Horologium vanished.

"Uh..." Gray stood awkwardly in the doorway.

"What, Gray?" Lucy growled.

"I- uh." Gray tried his best not to die of laughter. "Wendy left her room key at the table. I'm gonna-pfft-go wait at the station. Do you girls need-." He choked on a laugh.

"Just go!" Lucy snapped.

"Sorry." Gray held on to the door for support. He was shaking.

"You too Happy." Lucy ordered. "I can't stand you right now."

"I was only teasing." Happy sighed.

"You go too far, Happy." Lucy said, glaring daggers at the animal.

"Indeed." Carla added.

At a snail's pace Gray made his way out, leaving Wendy's key on the desk. Lucy was about to throw Happy at him, but the cat took flight and followed Gray out.

"I'm sorry Lucy." He said before disappearing.

Lucy seethed for a moment.

"He has no boundaries." Carla sniffed.

"I was not expecting that." She heard Erza say.

Lucy turned her frustration towards her bags. She tossed the sack into the trash and began to put on her backpack.

"How much, may I ask." Erza began. "of that was accurate."

Lucy exhaled. "Too much for comfort."

"Ah."

"I was drunk." Lucy argued. "I wasn't in the right mind at all and..."

Lucy was running out of excuses. "It didn't mean anything..."

"Okay, okay." Erza mediated. "Well, I'll forget I heard anything."

"Us too." Wendy promised.

"If Gray should say anything." Erza added. "I'll simply end his life."

"And I Happy's." Carla finished.

"Thanks," Lucy said, sliding on her backpack."I'm gonna head to the store, need anything?"

"Nope." Erza said, "I have everything I need."

"I'm good, thank you." Said Wendy.

"Okay, I'll see you at the station."

-0-

Lucy made it to the station with about twenty minutes to spare. Her nausea had begun to ebb it's way back to the pit of her stomach. The stress of Happy making a fool of her seemed to be feeding the sickness along. Lucy bought some crackers and bananas to help her stomach settle. She also had her breakfast leftovers and now a few days worth of food to keep her going. She wasn't going to allow a stomach bug to deny her the pleasure six hours of new scenery had to offer. Lucy was looking forward to the ride through Fiore's Evergreen Forrest where there were trees taller than the citadel. Everything else was a mystery waiting to unfold.

She had thought to pass by Gerrod's Bakery to say bye, but she decided that there was no point. She simply didn't care to see him again. Last night was enjoyable, she had gone on her first date...had her first kiss and some. However, she was ready to move on. It was time to focus on the task at hand. The century Quest. Once they boarded the train, things would get serious. They'd be in another country with new and hidden dangers, mentioning the quest outside of Fiore was to be avoided. Erza pretty much forbade it, and nobody dared to disobey Erza. As of now they were simply sightseers backpacking across the neighboring kingdoms.

Lucy quickly found Erza, due to her mountain of luggage now being loaded onto the train. Erza wasn't planning on carrying it the whole way, at least not as it was now. After they made it off the last train in Bellum, Erza was going to use spatial magic to tuck it all away. The reason for waiting was to conserve magic energy.

Natsu and Wendy were playing a casual game of cards while Gray was sitting a few seats down talking to Juvia via Lacrima.

"I'll be back before you know it babe." He told her. "Then we can start planning our trip."

Lucy's malice towards Gray faded a bit, it was adorable hearing him comfort Juvia who must have missed him dearly. Lucy wasn't too sure why Juvia hadn't come along. She wasn't an official member of the group, but dating Gray surely gave her an invitation.

"Did ya get us some food?" Natsu called out to her.

Lucy wasn't sure if he was joking or not.

"Yep." She said, unable to look at him. The embarrasment of her actions had been thrown in her face yet again. It made her sick on top of being sick.

"I was afraid I missed you." Gerrod's voice said out of no where.

Lucy reluctantly turned to greet him. Luckily she had thought to put a scarf around her neck to hide the marks he had given her.

"How can you wear that?" Gerrod referred to that very scarf. "It's already sweltering out here."

"I don't feel good," Lucy quickly replied. "It's comforting."

Gerrod grinned cheekily. "I don't know if I buy that sweetheart."

Lucy frowned, her stomach really begged to differ. Also, she was beginning to wonder if it was a good idea to speak to Gerrod this close to her friends. There's no telling what he would bring up.

"Look," She said. "It was nice to see you again-."

"Hey, wait. I brought a parting gift." Gerrod reached in his satchel and pulled out a small box. "Fresh tarts. You didn't come by this morning so I thought i'd bring them to you."

Lucy forced a smile. She politely took the box and was genuinely appreciative. "Thank you."

"No problem, next time you come back through you can tell me if you liked them."

"I'm sure they're perfect."

Gerrod scratched his arm nervously. "Uh, what happened last night?"

Lucy remembered Gerrod's face when he saw a grandfather clock materialize out of no where and take her away.

"Horologium...he's just very protective. "

"Of what, your...mouth?"

"Yyeahhh..." Lucy said slowly, hoping that made enough sense for him to drop it.

Lucy found some humor in that whole mess, the awkwardness and panic had caused her Celestial spirit to intervene. It was what she wanted at the time, she wanted to back out. Gerrod cleared his throat. Lucy wondered if she was being quiet for too long, she searched for something to say but nothing stuck. She just wanted him to go, her stomach was feeling worse by the second.

"Lucy!" Erza shouted. "I require your assistance!"

Lucy looked at Erza and wondered what she needed help with, her cart was already unloaded and put aside. Erza gave Lucy a look that said 'I'm trying to give you a way out, stupid!"

"Well," Lucy said quickly. "Take care."

Gerrod looked like he wasn't finished saying everything he had wanted to. Lucy was ready to just get on the train and leave him in the past, but there was a stronger sense that honesty was the best route. She herself knew what it was like to be unsure of how deep a person's feelings went.

"I had a really great time..." She said to the ground.

"...But?" He asked, bracing himself.

"I just don't see it going anywhere."

Gerrod nodded his head with disappointment. "...Well, thanks for being honest."

Lucy bit her lip, she didn't know what came next. She had never been in this situation...with a normal person before that is.

Gerrod half smiled. "Enjoy the tarts, Luce." He gave her a quick glance before walking away.

Lucy stood there for a moment. Her friends sat still, which told her they were listening in. She saw a hint of a smirk on Natsu's face, but maybe it had to do with the game he was playing with Wendy. Lucy took a deep breath and walked over to Erza.

"Thanks."

"That looked painful." She said.

Lucy smiled. "I've been through worse."

Erza paused for a moment. "You've been through some tough and impossible situations...However, relationships are on an entirely different level."

"You're right." Lucy said. Sometimes she felt like punches and hits were more bearable than dealing with her feelings for other people.

"I think you handled that well."

Lucy kicked at a rock on the ground. "It would have been a bigger headache if not for you."

"Happy to help."

The door to the train opened for passengers and a doorman had begun to motion for people to board. Lucy went back for her carry on luggage, she stuffed the box of tarts on top of her things.

"Alright." Wendy said to Natsu. "Here goes." She put a small hand on his forehead and one on his abdomen. She took a breath before speaking the spell. Lucy saw the blue spell illuminate Natsu's body. So far so good.

"Thanks." Natsu said, picking up his bag.

"I hope it works." Wendy sighed.

"Have faith, child." Carla encouraged her.

"Right."

Lucy began to really feel miserable, her stomach began to twist. She weakly followed her friends on to the train and then quickly took note of where the bathroom was, just in case. She sat down opposite of Gray so she'd be able to look out the window without having to turn her head. Erza sat by the window and Natsu with Happy in tow sat between Erza and Gray. Wendy sat next to Lucy, letting Carla have the window seat. Lucy tucked her bag under the seat and leaned her head back. She was about six rows down from the nearest bathroom.

"Limesburg is a quaint little town." Erza commented.

"Meh." Natsu disagreed. "It's nothin but a knock off Magnolia."

Gray tilted his head "I wouldn't care to pass through again."

"I would for the pie." Wendy smiled.

"The strawberry pie was just as legendary as promised." Erza grinned, slipping into a food coma.

"Mira's homemade apple pie," Gray began. "Would destroy them, hands down."

Natsu nodded in agreement. "With ice cream."

"There's that boy." Carla announced.

Lucy opened her eyes, hoping Gerrod wasn't there. She was too weak to look up.

Natsu and Gray leaned forward to check it out.

"How does he know which cab I'm in?" Wendy sighed.

"He's waving." Erza told them.

"I'll handle this." Natsu began to stand up.

"What're you going to do?" Wendy panicked.

"Don't make a fool of yourself." Carla warned.

Natsu slid the window open to Wendy's dismay.

Lucy looked around Wendy and saw the same boy who had robbed her yesterday. He was smirking at Natsu.

"I just want to say bye to Wendy." He told Natsu.

"Thieving morons ain't her type. Move along."

The boy gritted his teeth. "Tell the blonde I'm sorry. I won't steal again, I promise."

"Good." Natsu said. "You got one life, make something of yourself!"

The train's horn rang through the air, signaling the next part of their quest.

"If you ever feel like working on your fighting skills," Natsu said. "You can find me in Magnolia."

The train lurched forward, but Lucy saw the boy crack a smile before turning away.

Natsu sat back down and stretched, clearly relieved he wasn't going to spend the next six hours sick to his stomach.

"Did you really just invite a kid to come and fight you?" Gray asked. His arms were folded at his chest.

Natsu cracked his knuckles. "He could use the discipline."

"Natsu's Camp for Misguided Youths." Erza tested. "That would be a nice project for you."

Natsu settled deep into the seat. "I wouldn't mind training some new guild members."

"Fairytail could use some fresh talent." Gray agreed. "We were the kids, but we're pretty much adults now. We need the next generation. "

"Romeo and Wendy are almost grown too." Erza noted. "Asuka is now the youngest guild member."

 _Gajeel and Levy are expecting too._ Lucy managed to smile. She couldn't wait to meet their child.

"Yeah, and she's pretty fierce too." Natsu said.

"I don't think that boy was a wizard." Carla said.

"Maybe he could be taught." Gray suggested.

"He could always use a lacrima."

"Pcht. Lacrima's are a bunch of bull." Natsu snorted.

"Laxus uses a lacrima." Erza pointed out.

Natsu opened and shut his mouth.

"But he's also skilled in other magic." Gray said.

"Highly skilled." Erza corrected. "He wouldn't big the biggest challenge I've ever faced...but a challenge no doubt."

"Laxus and I need to have another one on one." Natsu said almost too cheerfully. "I've learned some new tricks."

"You can always fight me first." Erza suggested. "I would welcome a warm up in case we encounter any unsavory strangers."

Natsu grinned and extended his hand. His spread his fingers out so they could see. "I can do more than a warm up." Flames wove in and out of his outstretched fingers.

"Easy." Gray warned, looking around for any near by security.

The flames died out.

Lucy began to get that feeling in her throat again. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

 _Please no. Please please please._

She gritted her teeth and squeezed her hands closed, for a second that seemed to pause the nausea.

"Lucy-" Gray started to say, giving her a look of concern.

Lucy knew it was go time. She leapt up from her seat, nearly knocking over a woman pushing a drink cart. She made it to the toilet just in time.

"Blegh!"

-0-

Positive her stomach was done punishing her, Lucy put her head against the bathroom door and wrapped her arms around her stomach. She felt cold and flushed. With a heavy heart she swore off chicken fried steak forever. After washing her hands for the second time, Lucy wobbled her way back to her seat.

Her friends gave her a pitying look.

"Are you okay Lucy?" Happy asked.

Lucy coldly ignored the exceed, she was still incredibly put out with him. She sat down and leaned forward, covering her face with her hands. Her body was trembling from the exertion.

"I'm sorry there's nothing I can do." Wendy sighed.

"That's okay." Lucy mumbled into her chest. "I'll be better soon.

"What made you sick?" Gray asked.

"Her dinner last night." Erza answered for her.

"I guess it's just not possible to ride a train without one of us being nauseous." Natsu said.

"I guess not." Lucy mumbled.

"We got you some gingerale." Wendy held out a bottle.

Lucy took it and tried to open it. The lid was stuck tight.

Natsu leaned forward. "Here." He took the bottle from Lucy and opened it in one twist.

 **Pop.**

"Thanks." Lucy said, taking it back. The carbonation felt good going down her sore throat.

For several minutes the group sat quietly, most watched the outskirts of Fiore fly by. There wasn't much for them to look at just yet. Just small hills and scattered trees.

"This is going to be a long ride." Natsu sighed.

Gray scratched his right shin with his left foot. "Enjoy it, usually you're curled into a ball."

 _Like me._

Gray cleared his throat.

"Hurry up and get to feeling better Lucy." Natsu said excitedly. "Then we can get started with your training."

Lucy perked up a bit. So he really was willing to teach her some of his magic.

"Training?" Erza said in a questioning tone.

"Lucy wants to learn some maker magic." Natsu explained.

"And you're gonna teach her?" Gray asked in a flat tone.

"And why not?" Natsu frowned.

"You're not the most patient guy..." Gray said with his eyes closed and head resting against the seat. "How are you gonna manage?"

Gray had a point, but perhaps since they had a long journey ahead of them he'd be able to focus more.

"You think you could do better?"

Gray smiled. "I'm not saying that, I've never taught anyone magic before...I think I'm just as impatient as you actually."

Natsu smile and sank back into the seat. "Nah, I'll have Lucy spitting flames in no time."

Butterflies and nausea did not mix when it came to stomachs. Lucy squeezed her fists tightly.

"Are you gonna throw up again?" Natsu asked.

Lucy just groaned. If there were an empty cab she'd gladly occupy it. Her scarf was beginning to make her neck sweat, but she didn't dare take it off. She longed for somewhere she could suffer in peace.

"You've been awfully quiet Happy." Natsu noticed. "Don't tell me you're sick too!"

"I'm not sick." Happy said.

"What's wrong with you then?"

The cabin got awkwardly silent as Happy's stunt replayed in people's minds.

Lucy heard a weird cough like sound come from Gray's chest. He was laughing, but trying to hide it.

Natsu put two and two together and sensed he was out of the loop on something.

He looked around the cabin, Erza was looking out the window a little too intently, her mouth was a tight line as she tried to conceal her smile. Wendy looked down at her dress and nervously tugged at the fabric.

Gray shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He snorted and let a loud guffaw slip.

Lucy pushed out of her seat and locked herself into the bathroom. There was no hiding it now. Natsu was going to find out and she didn't want to be there when he did. She put the seat down and sat for a while. Her stomach gurgled a bit but it wasn't bothering her too badly. She was starting to regret leaving the cab, the quick movement was enough to upset her stomach. She stood over the toilet, waiting for the wave of nausea to do it's thing.

-0-

Lucy sat down on the toilet again after throwing up her ginger ale. She couldn't make herself go sit with her friends again. She did, however, promise to forgive Happy and Gray in exchange of her stomach feeling stable again. It wasn't so much that she was embarrassed of her drunken actions. What really pissed her off was how she always seemed to be exposed in front of everyone so mercilessly. It was like she had no privacy at all. She was still upset, but they were too early in the quest to let such things get under her skin. Lucy knew she'd have to let it go for the good of the team. Hopefully Happy would ease off...

 **Knock Knock Knock**

Lucy stood up, she couldn't hog the bathroom forever. She opened the door and mumbled escuse me to the kid who was waiting to use the bathroom. She plopped back down on her seat.

"I'm sorry." Gray said at once.

"Me too Lucy!" Happy flicked his tail nervously.

Lucy sighed noisily. "It's water under the bridge now."

Natsu's silence told her he was filled in during her absence.

"So," Erza said in a serious, but hushed tone. "I spoke to Makarov this morning, he's concerned about our passage through Silver. He wants us to board the next train to Iceburg immediately."

"What's happening in Silver?" Gray asked.

" A lot of young women and girls go missing near the border of Bosco." Erza explained. "He advised us not to stay the night."

Natsu laughed haugtily. "As if anyone could make off with any of you three. If they try just beat them up."

"Well." Erza continued. "Although you're correct, I'd rather not take the risk."

"If Makarov is concerned," Gray reasoned. "Maybe we should be too."

Natsu tapped his foor impatiently. "I'm not worried, if we can't handle some low life women snatchers then we might as well turn around with our tails between our legs!"

Gray nodded in agreement. "True."

"Bora was from Bosco." Lucy remembered.

"Juvia's ex?" Gray muttered.

"Yeah, he tricked me into getting on a boat with other girls on board. He was kidnapping us to be a... glamour model or something."

"See." Natsu smirked. "They ain't nothing to worry about. If I could beat em as a teenager I can beat em now."

Brrring Brrring

Gray's pocket began to ring. He quickly pulled it out.

"Hey babe." He greeted. "We're on our way to Silver now...no way. That's my girl." Gray chuckled about something Juvia was telling him. "Ha-ha...here, hold on."

Gray stood to leave. "I'm gonna go out back." He told them.

"We can see if there are any trains to Yano, Iceburg." Erza suggested. "Ones with sleeping quarters."

Lucy thought in silence for a moment. Hearing that Bora was kidnapping her to be a glamour model never made sense to her. Who was his boss? What kind of sleazeball would go through such lengths to smuggle unsuspecting women for glamour shots?

Natsu sighed.

"It smells like vomit in there." Lucy heard a woman say.

Lucy shuffled in her seat. _Great_

There was a bit more debate on whether or not boarding another train tonight was a good option. For now, Erza seemed to be winning. Lucy knew Natsu was dreading another long train ride, especially back to back. Stopping for the night sounded good to her. Also, avoiding pervs from Bosco had it's appeal too. Lucy felt she could insert her opinion too, however it felt like too much effort to open her mouth. She really just wanted to sleep through the last of the ride and decided she'd be content with what ever her guild mates wanted to do.

"Lucy," Erza said.

Lucy opened her eyes. She had fallen asleep in an awkward angle. It would have really messed her up if she stayed like that.

"Wha?" She mumbled, rubbing her neck.

Erza stood. "Switch places with me, you can lean up against the wall and sleep.

Lucy figured that wasn't a bad idea. Maybe she would be able to the sleep the rest of the way.

Erza walked into the aisle so Lucy could take her spot near the window.

"Use your scarf as a pillow." Natsu suggested.

"I'm okay." Lucy said, not wanting to remind everyone of the marks on her neck.

"Here,"

Lucy watched him unwrap his scarf from his neck. He folded it into a square and handed it over to her. "Thanks Natsu." She said, touched. She put it between the wall and her head. It was incredibly warm, like it had just come out of the dryer. Natsu's body temperature was warmer than a normal person's, so it made sense. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. Her mind wandered to the fact that it was her very own ancestor who hand knitted this scarf. Lucy loved how connected her friends really were...it was Lucy's family who helped bring the Dragon Slayers to the current era, Natsu's brother who helped Erza's mother regain her human form which in turn helped Erza be born...Erza's mother who had created Dragon Slayer magic in the first place. Gray was affected by Zeref who had created the demon who murdered his family, a little darker than the others. Wendy was a Dragon Slayer who shared the same purpose as Natsu, just a whole lot less complicated than his. Which was saying something as all of their pasts were quite complicated. Now here they all were, moving along to the next challenge.

 _I love my life._

Lucy thought about her next sub-task, to learn how to use fire magic. She wanted to have more tricks up her sleeves so she could defend herself whether or not she had her keys.

 ** _"...I'll have Lucy spitting flames in no time!"_ **

_This will be the first step in focusing on myself._

Lucy fell asleep again and dreamed about Levy and Gajeel's baby. The kid had thick black hair like his father. He ran around Lucy's feet, he was tall enough to reach her knees.  
"Baby." Levy scolded. "Leave the poor pregnant lady alone."  
Lucy looked down at her swollen stomach in shock.  
"I wanna feel the baby!" The kid whined.  
She felt the baby kick.  
"I'm not ready to be a mom!" Lucy gasped. "I still haven't found the Diamond!"  
Lucy blinked and she was on the train again. Wendy and Erza were talking quietly among each other. She felt squished. Natsu had fallen asleep too, his head rested on her. He was snoring quieter than normal. Her once comfortable position was now causing her leg to go numb. She wanted to move, but didn't want to wake him up. Lucy put her hand on Natsu's head and held him up while she moved in her seat. Now that she moved she was in a bind. There was no good way for Lucy to support his head. Gray was slumped in his seat, he looked like he was asleep too.  
"I'm sorry." Wendy said. "I had to take a picture of you three."  
Erza looked at Lucy. "You three look like sleeping angels."  
"I couldn't resist."  
"It's fine." Lucy said. Putting Natsu's scarf on her lap. "I don't want to wake him up, but my hand can't stay like this."  
"Hm..blm mh." Natsu mumbled in his sleep.  
"Here." Lucy told him. She scooted back in her seat and led Natsu to lay his head down where his scarf was. His arm dangled off the edge of the seat, but it seemed comfortable enough. She figured this was repaying his kindness for lending the scarf.

"Did you decide whether or not we are stopping?"

"We're going to see if there is another train leaving tonight." Erza answered. "If there isn't we'll stay at the hotel as planned."

"I don't want any trouble." Erza said. "Trouble attracts attention."

"Especially when we are all together." Happy agreed.

"So are we riding another train through Iceburg or are we going to hike?"

"It's nearing Summer, so I feel like we should save the Jewel and walk." Erza answered. "We know of a few hotels scattered around so we can book when we need to. Camping would be unwise until we make it to Bellum."

"Good," Lucy said. "I'm not the biggest fan of camping."

"It can be fun." Wendy kicked her feet. "I like it when we can see all the stars."

"Maybe if I had a better sleeping bag." Lucy sighed. She never took the time to buy a new one, she didn't even think to look when they were at Wizard and Co.

"It's all the same to me." Erza told them. "I sleep well no matter where I lay my head. It's just nice sleeping out in the open, allowing the sounds of nature to lull you to sleep. Devoid of city noise."

"But hotels have unlimited hot water." Lucy added. "You could take an hour long shower and a bath without your angry landlady giving you grief about it."

"I've never had to deal with a landlady..." Erza said. "But I have run out of hot water a bit too soon for my liking."

"The dorms have like, one water heater..." Wendy rolled her eyes.

"Well," Lucy smiled. "When I buy back my Mansion, you two are always welcome to my showers."

"How much is it going to cost, for your mansion?" Erza asked.

Lucy thought for a moment. "I have no idea actually... Probably over three billion Jewel.

"Yeesh." Gray exclaimed.

"Well, you'll have more than enough." Erza promised.

"Have you thought of a name for your bakery?" Lucy asked, changing the subject. She had to stretch out her leg, Natsu's body heat was making her leg overheat, plus his weight was taking it's toll.

"Scarlet's..." Erza tried out. "Maybe... Titania's Treats."

"Erza's Eats?" Gray suggested. "Nevermind, that sounds awful."

"Erza's..." Wendy gave it a shot. "Erza's...bakery-I'm bad at this."

"It wasn't a bad suggestion at all." Erza told her. "The best shops have the simplest names."

"Look at that." The scenery had become more mountainous and rocky. Lucy stared in awe, taking in the monster of a mountain. The trees had become more scattered, but there were also thick forrests surrounding the base of the mountain. Huge fluffly clouds rivaled the mountain in height, barely floating higher than the highest peak.

"It's a shame we'll be skipping this place." Erza sighed. "I would have loved to hike those mountains."

The rest of the ride, like the first hike through Fiore, went too soon. The landscape gave Lucy new ideas for a story setting. The isolated peaks seemed like the perfect locale for an evil sorcerer. She took note of the idea so she could write it down in her journal later.

The train screeched to a halt, making Lucy have to hold on to Natsu so he wouldn't roll onto the floor.

"Natsu." Lucy tried to shake him awake. "Natsu!"

Gray shook his friend's shoulder, a lot rougher than Lucy dared considering he often woke up swinging.

"Huh!" Natsu sat up with a start. "Where are we?"

"At the train station." Lucy said impatiently.

Natsu sat all the way up and stretched, his elbow bumped into Lucy's boob on the way up.

"Watch it!" Lucy gasped in pain.

"Sorry..."

"Here." Lucy said, handing the scarf back.

"Didn't drool on it, didya?"

Lucy frowned. "No, but you probably did. You slept like the dead."

"I have the worse time falling asleep." Natsu disagreed.

"You fell asleep within seconds last night." Wendy pointed out.

"Oh." Natsu said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I was faking."

Lucy shook her head. "Why?"

Happy opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it. He decided it wasn't worth his life.

Natsu gave Gray a side look. "I knew Gray would be up all night talking to Juvia...I wanted some peace and quiet."

Gray smirked. "Blame Juvia, she doesn't know how to say bye. Plus, I have to let her fall asleep on the phone with me. She likes it."

"That's so sweet." Wendy gushed.

"It's annoying." Natsu sighed.

"I think it's sweet too, Gray." Lucy said. " And you could have fallen asleep on the floor. I was so cramped."

"I was already on the bed."

Lucy shook her head. "Looks like they're letting people off now.

The team got their things together and made their way off the train. Once off they all looked around and soaked in the new country. So far they felt it wasn't too different from Fiore. The train station was more massive, and several people crowded the loading area.

"I'm gonna go see about a ticket to Yano." Erza said. She headed off towards the ticket line.

"The air feels nice." Gray commented.

"It feels so..." Lucy tried to find a good word. "...Crisp."

Gray turned his head to size up the mountain east of town. "I'd love to go hike that."

"Maybe we can plan a trip once we get the treasure situated." Wendy said.

"Wendy." Carla scolded. "You musn't speak of that."

Wendy covered her mouth.

Gray looked down at her head. "We're already on a trip, traveling through Ishgar... soaking in the culture and enjoying the sights."

"Precisely." Carla said.

"Too bad we can't visit the Draconian Ruins." Natsu sighed. "I bet they got all kinds of information on our parents."

"Like Grandeenia?" Wendy asked.

"Yeah." Natsu agreed. "They were the handful of dragons that accepted humans."

"What is that?" Lucy asked.

"It was a home base for humans and dragon allys until it was destroyed by dragons." Gray explained. "I doubt there's anything that can be deciphered buddy."

The light in Natsu's eyes dimmed a bit.

Gray slapped him on the back. "Still worth seeing though, right?"

"I'd like to." Wendy said. "I want to know everything I can about my past."

Lucy wondered if Natsu felt the same. He knew about a huge piece of his past, but there was still some holes. His human parents for instance.

"There's that poster again." Gray walked over to a poster with a girls face on it. It said she was missing. "I saw it at the station in Fiore."

"Wow," Happy ogled. "Look at that reward."

"Five-thousand Jewel for any information leading to her safe return." Gray read.

"I wonder if-" Lucy began.

"Bosco." Natsu finished. "Hopefully she wasn't kidnapped by them."

"I guess it's a good thing we aren't staying here." Wendy said.

"If they can put us on the next train that is." Gray said.

They waited a very long time to retrieve their baggage, mostly due to Erza's things being unloaded first. They were able to rent a cart to load the mountain of baggage on to. Lucy heard several people moaning and groaning about how no one should have that much baggage on a train. Slowly but surely they were handed their things. Natsu grabbed the handle of the cart and pulled it behind him the best he could.

"Need some help?" Gray asked.

"No-" Natsu said in a strained voice.

"I got our tickets." Erza stepped through the sea of travelers. She held an envelope with the tickets inside.

"When does it leave?" Lucy asked.

"Eight O'clock sharp."

"So...an hour and a half."

"They have a kitchen on board," Erza told them. "So we can eat on the train."

"Aw." Happy sighed "I'm so hungry!"

"Me too." Natsu agreed.

Lucy felt full, despite her stomach having been emptied over and over again. She grabbed her bag and pulled out some beef jerky.

"I have some of these." She offered.

Natsu looked at the strips of dried meat. "It's something." He took two long strips.

"Now i only owe you food one more time, then we're even again." Lucy pointed out.

"This is hardly a snack!" Natsu protested.

"Then give it back." Lucy said. "No one is forcing you to eat it."

Natsu took a huge bite of the meat. "No-I'm too hungry-to refuse."

Lucy shook her head and zipped her bag back up.

They made their way to their train's gate and sat down. It'd be time for their turn to load the baggage soon.

"We should get started teaching you fire magic." Natsu told Lucy.

"Isn't fire magic different that your fire dragon magic?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, but I know about both types. Fire dragon magic would take too long to master, but simple fire magic is easy as hell." Natsu snapped his fingers, causing a spark and then a flame to appear. "First things first, you need to become fire proof."

Lucy leaned away. "How do you suppose I'll do that?"

"Stick your hand over the flame." Natsu told her. "Use the ethernano in the air to create a resistance."

Lucy sighed. She put a lot of hope into Natsu training her. She was starting to have her doubts.

"You're gonna hurt her."

"Nope." Natsu shook his head. "This is how it's done."

"How do you know?"

"It's how Igneel started with me."

"Grandeena had me meditate to channel the air around me." Wendy commented.

"Wind and Fire are just as different as fire and ice." Gray shrugged. "Now that I think of it, Ur did something similar with me...I had to build a resistance to the cold."

"Yeah, so give me some credit." Natsu growled at Gray.

Gray put up his hands in surrender.

Natsu looked at Lucy and nodded.

Lucy saw determination in Natsu's eyes, he really believed in this method. Gingerly, she held her fingers over the flame. She felt the heat hit her fingers and held it high enough she wouldn't feel pain. She slowly brought her finger closer and closer until her instincts told her to move it or lose it. She turned her hand so she could see if there was damage.

"Now focus, like you do for your celestial magic." Natsu coached her.

Lucy closed her eyes and felt for the ethernano. She knew when she was channeling it because it made her feel a rush of energy. She exhaled and reached for the flame.  
She was working on edging closer when all of a sudden the flame shot out at her hand and covered up to a few inches before her elbow.

"Eep!" She pulled her hand back in shock. She didn't feel any pain.

"Let me see." Natsu held out his hand for hers.

"I'm not falling for that again." Lucy muttered.

Natsu gave her an amused look. "That's not what I have in mind, promise."

Lucy swallowed a lump in her throat and let Natsu inspect her hand, tilting it this way and that. Lucy noted how warm his hands were, the heat felt nice on her naturally cold skin. The thought slipped on how she wanted him to hold her hand more often...but she quickly shoved the thought out.

"Check it out." Natsu beamed, still holding her arm. He pointed at the crease near her wrist. "From here..." He drug his finger from that spot to the middle of her forearm. The feeling sent chills up her spine. She tried to keep her face neutral. "To here. You still have hair, but look here!" He drug his finger up another inch. "You're hair is singed."

Lucy noticed what he meant, there was an area of hair that was singed.

"What does that mean?" Lucy asked, slightly annoyed.

"That we've been training for less than five minutes and you're already getting it."

"Oh." Lucy felt a rush of excitement. She was able to make part of her arm fire resistant. "Let's do it again."

"It didn't hurt?" Wendy asked.

"No." Lucy said.

"She just panicked."

"Yeah." Lucy agreed, getting her hand ready.

Natsu held his palm up and engulfed his entire hand.

Lucy could feel the heat touch her face. She took a deep breath and slid her hands into the flame. She felt the wave of heat brush past her fingers not unlike the feeling of a current running past her underwater.

Natsu watched with a proud look on his face. "I knew you could do it."

Lucy felt the fire touch a part of her skin that wasn't quite fireproof yet. She pulled her arm back quickly.

"We'll try this a few more times." Natsu told her. "Everyday we'll keep going until every inch in resistant."

Lucy felt her face warm. She was enjoying this. Lucy took her hand out to inspect it again. She still had the hair after the singed part.

"Okay." She reached her hand back in. Natsu wiggled his fingers, brushing them against her palm. She shuddered.

"At this rate, by tomorrow I can try throwing flames at you."

Lucy laughed nervously. "We'll see."

Natsu's smile was steady. He reached and grabbed her hand. Intensifying the flames. The whole time his hand never felt any warmer than usual. Lucy felt a rush of emotion. She couldn't help but like her hand being held by him. Her decision to focus on her own path made her feel a bit better about having feelings for Natsu. She had a new purpose and a new priority.

They tried a few other methods, including heating up metal until they glowed red. Natsu tried to drop it into her hand, but Lucy couldn't help herself from pulling her hand away.

"No pain, no gain." Natsu scolded.

Lucy groaned.

"Just try touching the metal instead of letting it fall on you." Gray advised.

Natsu held a metal coin between his thumb and index finger. He was keeping it hot. Lucy reached out to touch it, slowly getting closer. Just when she was about an inch away Natsu shoved the coin into her finger.

"Ah!' Lucy pulled her hand away, but then she smiled. "Nothing."

"Nice." Natsu held up his hand, still engulfed. "High five!"

Lucy grinned and slapped his hand.

"You're not as bad as I thought you'd be at teaching." Gray admitted.

Natsu smiled smugly. "I don't know why you doubted me."

Gray opened his mouth to say something but the train bell cut him off. They got up to have their baggage loaded.

They sat down in their cabin, Natsu already had his menu in hand.

"No fish options!" Happy cried.

"At least the chairs lean back." Gray commented. He had himself kicked back in no time.

"We need to leave the door open until they come by to take orders." Erza told him, she was reading the instructions off the back of the menu.

Lucy followed Gray's example and had her feet up. Now they could sleep more comfortably.

Erza handed Lucy the menu to look next. Nothing sounded appetizing and she knew it had to do with her recovery. She handed the menu to Gray.

"I'll just eat my snacks if I get hungry." Lucy said.

Gray had the menu up to his face, but a passing passenger caught his attention. "Natsu." He called, pointing at the person in question.

"Hm?"

"That's the girl from the missing person poster."

Natsu looked at the person more intently. Not wanting to give them away, Lucy kept still and waited on her friends to make the next move.

"Sure does look like her...nah, it is her."

"We need to tell the conductor."

"Yeah, then we can collect the reward." Natsu said excitedly.

"Be discrete about it." Erza warned. "We don't need any attention"

"Right." Gray stood and walked toward the front of the train.

"What is going on, exactly?" Erza whispered.

"Gray found a missing person poster and that's the girl who was on it."

"Ah."

They waited in silence for their friend to return. It took about ten minutes before Gray returned.

He entered the cabin and shut the door behind him.

"Hey," Happy protested. "We can't get food with the door shut!"

"I don't think the train is gonna be running for a while. The head guy said they were gonna call the police. We have to wait."

"Her family must be so worried." Lucy said sadly. "I hope she's okay."

"She doesn't look scared." Gray commented. "She does have her hoodie on though."

"Probably so no one recognizes her."

Natsu's stomach growled. "I can't go on much longer."

"Oh please." Gray sighed.

They waited for a while longer, Lucy had just begun to nod off when several pairs of boots stomped their way up to the neighboring cabin.

"Are you Tristan Oberon?" A voice asked.

"No, I'm not." Lucy heard a girls voice protest. "Please leave me alone."

"That's her for sure!" Another voice echoed through the hall.

"You have the wrong girl." A guy's voice growled.

"You're safe now, Lady Winterbourne. Your father has been contacted. Arrest this man and take the girl into custody."

They heard scuffling and the sound of a struggle.

"Don't arrest him!" Tristan Oberon cried.

"I didn't kidnap her!" The guy growled.

"I went willingly." She admitted.

"Then you're a runaway. That's nearly as serious of an offense. Come with us now."

"I'm not going anywhere with you!"

 **Boom!**

The window shattered, giving the team barely enough time to take cover.

Gray and Natsu lept to their feet, Gray opened the door and they all gaped at the massive hole in the side of the train.

Lucy watched as the guards swarmed over Tristan and her friend. They had her restrained before she or the other guy could cause anymore damage.

Gray stepped on broken glass and watched as the two were taken away, "What the hell!"

"So much for leaving tonight." Erza sighed.

An official looking car pulled up almost immediately. A tall, stern looking man stepped out. He walked over to the group of guards and looked Tristan in the face. Lucy watched Tristan, who wouldn't look her father in the eye.

"You're safe." He choked, grabbing her face so he could look at her. "Are you hurt, my darling."

"..No."

"Let's go home."

The guard spoke to the father, talking too low for Lucy to hear over the panicked chatter of the other passengers who were evacuating the train.

"No way!" The father yelled. "My daughter is not a runaway. It's that boy, he manipulated her."

"He's being detained." Another guard told him. "He blew up the side of the train."

"Mongrel! I'm so relieved my baby is safe. Who is responsible for Tristan's return. I want to thank him."

The team shrunk back, not wanting attention.

"That guy right there!" One of the train staff pointed at Gray.

"Uhh..." Gray froze.

"Young man, you have my thanks." The father pushed through the crowd. "I've been awake for days, worrying about her. Oh, I hope you guys weren't in a hurry. I'm sorry my lack of parenting skills interfered with your travels. Say, how many are with you?"

"We'll be okay." Erza interrupted. "We have a hotel we planned to stay at tonight anyway."

"Nonsense. I must show my gratitude. Follow me to my estate. You will enjoy my home more than a dusty old hotel."

"Estate?" Happy ogled.

"I'm in!" Natsu said.

"Me too!" Happy agreed.

"I'll give you the reward money then." He promised.

"What about our things?"

"We'll unload everything and put it in the next train." A train attendee told them. "Bring your tickets back for the next departure at eleven in the morning."

The team looked to Erza.

"I guess we're set."

"Gobi will let you and your friends into the car." The father turned around and walked back over to his daughter. Tristan looked incredibly dismayed. Lucy hoped that her being reunited with her father would be a good thing. Why would she want to runaway? Lucy and her friends were led inside the car and after several minutes they left the train station. Lucy looked out the window and admired the sunset. They'd have to wait another day to make it to Iceburg.

 _Let's hope there aren't anymore distractions then..._

-.-.-.-.-.-

 ** _Yay! Another chapter done. I'm having a blast helping the FT storyline along. Thankyou, Yaboimydude for your review and to the others who liked and added my story to their favorites. It gave me more motivation to keep the chapters going._**

 ** _See ya next time!  
_**


	4. Dinner with the Winterbournes

"Sadie is an excellent cook." Everett Winterbourne gushed. "She has been teaching my daughters too."

Mr. Winterbourne had called ahead to make sure the team would have a hot meal when they made it to the estate. He had introduced them to his children one by one. There was the youngest boy, Naomichi, then Susan and Jasmine and Tristan who was the oldest girl. Their oldest brother, Julian was away with his Fiancee on a cruise. Tristan had shut herself in her room, convincing her father that she needed time to rest.

"Cooking is a most prestigious art." Erza commented.

"Indeed." Mr. Winterbourne nodded.

Little Susan grinned, she was missing a few baby teeth. "I can make Chicken Gnocchi and Spaghetti and rolls and cookies."

"She's a natural." Mr. Winterbourne beamed.

"Her cookies never have enough chocolate chips." Naomichi frowned.

Susan rolled her eyes. "If you add too much chocolate the cookies get gooey, Nao."

"I'm with Nao." Natsu sided. "The more chocolate the better."

Nao smirked at his sister.

Lucy caught Jasmine giving Natsu a shy look again. She had been giving him the eye off and on this whole time.

"Can I pet your kitty cat?" Naomichi asked Natsu.

Happy flicked his tail, annoyed. "I'm not a cat. I'm an exceed."

Naomichi's eyes widened, in fact, all the kids leaned forward.

"You taught him to speak? Daddy, it speaks!"

"Happy talking is nothing." Gray said. "It's getting him to shut up that's the difficult part."

Lucy closed her eyes to keep her composure.

 _He's not lying..._

"Haha!" Natsu rolled.

Erza smiled while Wendy looked down at her plate, not wanting to hurt the exceeds feelings.

Happy crossed his arms, not amused.

Natsu scratched his buddies head. "Ah, lighten up little buddy. He's just teasing."

"He's always wanted a cat of his own." Mr. Winterbourne said. "But-"

"But he doesn't play nice with animals." Susan filled in.

"He's- a bit too excited when it comes to animals." Mr. Winterbourne frowned.

Naomichi looked down at his empty soup bowl. "I just love em, that's all."

Happy gave Carla a scared look.

The side door was pushed open and an older woman pushed a cart into the dining room.

"Ah, here is dinner!" Mr. Winterbourne announced.

There was a large bowl and a plate with a domed lid on top. The woman, Sadie pushed it around to Gray and set aside the lid. A cloud of steam rolled out, unleashing an aroma of meat and vegetables. Mr. Winterbourne had instructed her to serve his guests first. She used a ladle and filled the bowl with vegetable soup and gave him a croissant too. She made her way to each person. Happy was given a few fish fillets to dine on.

They waited for Mr. Winterbourne to be served.

"Dig in!" He said.

"I helped chop up the carrots and potatoes." Susan told them.

"Splendid job my darling." Mr. Winterbourne praised.

Lucy felt her heart ache for family dinners back when her mother was alive. They had a dining room table like this and a cook. The only thing she lacked at the time were siblings to occupy the other chairs.

"Never has a more immaculately sliced carrot passed my lips." Erza praised as well.

Susan smiled proudly.

"Daddy," Naomichi asked. "Should we try and get Tristan to eat with us?"

Mr. Winterbourne wiped his face with a napkin. "I begged her to join us, but she insists on resting."

"Is she going to be okay?"

"She's..." Mr. Winterbourne sighed. "She's her mother's daughter... I suppose you all are in your own ways..."

"Where is Mrs. Winterbourne? Erza asked.

"I'm afraid she is no longer with us."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." Lucy said.

Mr. Winterbourne smiled warmly. "It's just my darling children and I... It's been a long road to recovery, we have a long ways to go still- but so long as we have each other we can handle anything."

"That's like us." Erza said. "We handle our problems as a team."

Natsu slurped the last of his soup nosily and then set it down. "I'm ready for round two."

Lucy groaned internally, and gave Mr. Winterbourne a look to see if he was affronted.

Mr. Winterbourne watched Natsu with an amused look. "Well, uh...Sadie! Please give the young man another serving.

"Sorry." Gray appologized. "He's not house trained."

Natsu shrugged. "I grew up in the same place you did."

"Are you sure?" Gray asked.

"Gray, put your shirt back on!" Lucy gasped.

Gray looked down at his exposed chest in shock. "When did I-"

Mr. Winterbourne's jaw dropped. "My young daughters are present, sir!"

Natsu looked at Lucy. "Who's not house trained again?"

Lucy held her head in the palm of her head in shame.

 _Idiots._

Gray quickly found his shirt and slid it back on. Susan giggled and Jasmine focused intently on her soup.

"Animals." Carla muttered.

"Our housekeepers are preparing rooms as we speak, you'll find your things left on the bed." Mr. Winterbourne changed the subject.

"We appreciate it." Lucy said. They had brought with them their carry on bags, but servants had taken them at the door. Lucy felt at ease. The soup was perfect, and the croissants were the fluffiest she had ever eaten.

Sadie scooped more soup into Natsu's bowl.

"Could I.." Natsu pointed at the pile of croissant.

"Of course, sir." Sadie lifted the plate and offered the bread to Natsu. He grabbed three.

"This is the best soup I've ever had." Natsu told her.

Sadie gave him a smile and nodded before moving the cart back to it's intial spot.

"Where were you lot headed?" Mr. Winterbourne asked. "If I may ask."

"Uh."

"We are traveling to Bellum." Erza answered for them.

"Sight seeing." Gray added.

"We went on vacation in Bellum last Summer." Susan said. "I had a lot of fun."

"We got to ride a camel!" Naomichi cheered. "It was awesome. Did you know they can weigh over fifteen hundred pounds and they spit for defense?"

"I didn't know that." Gray said.

"What is their scientific name Nao?" Mr. Winterbourne prompted.

Naomichi paused. "Camelus Drom-dromedarius." He nearly chocked on the name.

"That's super cool." Natus commented between bites.

"He's taken an interest in zoology." Mr. Winterbourne explained.

"I want to join a circus one day." Naomichi said.

Mr. Winterbourne chuckled at his son's imagination.

"We were just talking about starting a circus the other day." Wendy told him. "I would make balloon animals for kids."

"I would be an animal tamer." said Erza.

"Lucy would be an acrobatic dancer, and Happy and Carla would be magicians." Natsu added.

"What would you do?" Susan asked Natsu.

"Probably just stick to my guns and do a fire routine." Natsu waved his fingers and sent streams of fire through the air. Jasmine gaped at Natsu.

"That's so cool!" She sighed.

Mr. Winterbourne turned white. "We do not use magic in this house." He said in a very hollow voice.

His tone wiped the grins from his children's faces.

Natsu's flames quickly died out. "What do you have against magic?"

Lucy jabbed Natsu in the side, not enough to hurt him. He gave her a quick glance.

"Magic is the reason our mama's dead." Naomichi sighed.

Lucy and her friends gave eachother looks of surprise.

"Oh." Wendy said.

Mr. Winterbourne reached out and gently squeezed his son's shoulder. "I ask that you refrain from using it under my roof."

"Yes sir." Erza promised.

"Sadie." Mr. Winterbourne called. "Why don't you bring out dessert now."

Two servants left their standing position to come around and load the empty dishes onto a tray while Sadie rolled in a cake on a different tray.

She cut up a decadent looking chocolate cake and served them one by one.

"Happy and Carla can't eat chocolate." Natsu told Sadie.

"Shall I fetch some fruit then?"

"Yes please." Carla answered.

"Thank you!" Happy called.

"I won't be able to see you lot off in the morning." Mr. Winterbourne said. "I must leave early in the morning for Bosco."

"Another meeting, Dad?" Susan asked.

"Yes my dear. I'll be home before bedtime."

"I hate it when you go to Bosco." Naomichi sighed.

"There has been quite a few border squirmishes." Mr. Winterbourne explained. "Last time I was in Bosco I had to be ecorted out."

"Why's that?" Erza asked.

"They don't take kindly to westerners. Silver used to be a part of Bosco, as did Iceburg until we declared independence a hundred or so years ago. They have suffered a bit economically by losing access to the silver mines in the North and the salmon in Iceburg."

"I'd be sad too!" Happy told them. "Salmon is the best after tuna."

Naomichi and Susan giggled, absolutely charmed by the talking exceed.

"How bad are these sqirmishes?" Erza redirected the conversation.

"Bad enough that we are looking into border defense." Mr. Winterbourne admitted.

"Is there going to be another war?" Naomichi asked.

Mr. Winterbourne looked stressed, not wanting to worry his son.

"They just got rid of that evil wizard and the dragon." Naomichi trembled. "Surely we won't go to war."

Lucy froze, thinking it strange to hear about their war from the lips of a young boy.

"Do you think Bosco will invade?" Erza asked.

"Who knows." Mr. Winterbourne shrugged. "It's their allies in Desierto and in Iceburg that are the real worries. They have some considerable forces."

"Yeah, so does Fiore." Natsu chimed in. "If they start a war, we'll finish it."

Lucy didn't want anymore wars, she just wanted to go on quests and work on the next chapter of her life.

"Fiore wouldn't come to Silver's aid." Mr. Winterbourne shook his head.

"Why do you say that?" Gray asked.

"Queen Hisui isn't keen on sending her troops." He answered. "Not for another country's war anyway."

"Does Silver have any allies?"

"Stella, but they're forces are too small to be considered."

"We've met Queen Hisui." Erza frowned. "If it came to war, I am most certain she would lend a hand."

Mr. Winterbourne blinked. "You've met her?"

"Yeah," Natsu grinned. "We won the Wizard Tournament three years ago and worked together to stop the world from becoming Dragon chow. Then she helped us save the celestial world."

The Winterbournes stared at Natsu, taking in what he had just said.

"Who are you lot?" Mr. Winterbourne asked.

"We're wizards from the Fairytail guild." He answered.

The children looked at eachother and then their father. "Father," Jasmine asked. "Should we go?"

Mr. Winterbourne blinked. "No my dear. Finish your dessert."

Lucy was getting a bad vibe. Why did Jasmine feel they should leave?

"I remember when your guild won, actually." He said to them. "I had been called to a meeting shortly after. The Council of Silver were concerened about the Eclipse Gate."

"It was destroyed." Erza told him.

"Yeah, Lucy and another friend of ours made sure of it." Natsu assured him.

"So we were told."

"Did you see the dragons?" Naomichi asked.

"Yeah, we took on seven of them. One of them was my uncle."

"A dragon?" Mr. Winterbourne questioned.

"Yeah, I was raised by a dragon."

"You're Natsu...Dragneel?" Mr. Winterbourne asked.

The table went quiet.

"Yeah."

Mr. Winterbourne stared blankly at Natsu. Lucy frowned, not liking his reaction.

"I heard rumors that you were created by The Black Wizard, a demonic creation."

Lucy's heart broke for Natsu. That after all he did for Earthland, this was his legacy?

Natsu's mouth opened slightly.

"That's only rumors." Gray said. "Not all rumors are true."

Lucy watched Natsu's hands clench into a tight fist.

'I suppose so. Fairytail was huge force against the Alakitasian invaders, that I can be for certain?"

Lucy reached out and covered his fist with hers, not wanting him to be upset.

"Yes, The Black Wizard wanted to annihilate all those who live in Earthland." Erza confirmed. "We stopped him."

"How, exactly?"

"Nobody knows for sure." Natsu said in a strained tone, he twitched his hand letting Lucy know he wanted it back. She folded her hands in her lap.

"Old magic." Erza said.

"Good riddance. Well, keep on high alert." Mr. Winterbourne pushed his plate away. "There are men from Bosco scattered around the neighboring countries looking for women to use for who knows what."

"We've dealt with their kind before." Lucy told him. "I was almost taken away by them several years ago."

"They tried to take Tristan!" Susan cried.

"It wasn't Bosconians who took your sister." Mr. Winterbourne assured his child. "It was a wizard."

"Her boyfriend." Naomichi smirked, much to his fathers annoyance.

"This is why I won't allow dating." The father sighed.

Jasmine gave Natsu a longing glance. Lucy looked to see if Natsu noticed. He didn't, he was lost in his thoughts again.

"Do you want the rest of my cake?" Lucy asked, pushing her plate to him.

Natsu looked at the cake and nodded. He quickly finished off the last few bites.

"Honestly," Mr. Winterbourne said. "I'd make sure you stay together, don't let the ladies alone by themselves. Especially you my dear." He looked at Wendy. "You're my daughter's age. I hate to think of any harm befalling you- or any of you."

"We will heed your warning." Erza promised.

"I want to thank you again for your sharp eye," Mr. Winterbourne told Gray. "I may finally have a good nights rest, knowing that my children are all safe in their beds."

"You're Welcome, Mr. Winterbourne." Gray said.

"Thank you for welcoming us into your home." Wendy bowed.

"Let us all retire to our rooms. Children."

"Goodnight!" Said Susan.

"Goodnight." Said Naomichi.

"Sleep tight." Gray responded.

They followed the servants to their individual rooms. Natsu wordlessly entered his room and shut the door.

"I'm Grateful to the guy." Gray said. "But I was ready to walk out when he asked if Natsu was a demonic creation."

Lucy looked at Natsu's door. "Yeah, me too."

"He's just worried for his children's sake." Erza reasoned. "We're are strangers after all."

"That was incredibly insensitive." Wendy frowned.

"I think so too." Carla agreed.

They stood awkwardly in the hallway. "Ya think he's okay?" Gray asked.

Lucy was touched to see Gray show some concern for his childhood rival.

"It seems so." Erza sighed. "We better give him space."

Lucy chewed on her lip, wondering if she should check on Natsu.

"Do we have to all be in different rooms?" Wendy asked.

Erza smiled. "How about we all shower and then meet in my room? Bring some blankets and pillows."

"Yeah," Lucy smiled "Let's do it."

"I'll join in after I call Juvia." Gray said, pushing the door open into his room.

"Come on Happy" Carla called. "You can hang out with Wendy and I for now."

Happy grinned. "Thanks Carla."

They parted ways. Lucy stripped down and stood in the shower. The handle looked super complicated. She turned it every way she could trying to find the warm setting. She stuck her hand under and she found that it was the perfect temperature.

After she put her clothes safely away from the shower she slid in.

"Ah!" She jumped back. Within seconds the water was scalding hot. She hopped out, nearly slipping and gripped the counter until the pain finally dissipated.

"What the hell!" She hissed. "Ugh!"

She went back to the running water. It was steaming just as much as it had before she went in. Lucy stuck her hand in the water again. Felt fine. When she used her other hand the water scalded her. In a blink of an eye it made sense.

She was fireproof, which in turn meant heat resistant. Lucy laughed at herself.

"I'm such a moron." She whispered as she turned the knob.

Lucy grabbed her towel and patted her body dry. Her skin was still pink from the hot water.

I've got to tell Natsu about this.

She opened the door, half suspecting him to be in her room waiting.

He wasn't.

Lucy deflated, the one time she'd be okay with him intruding...

With a long sigh she went to the bed and dug threw her back for the spare clothes she had set aside. She dropped her towel and slipped on her clean clothes. Among these were a pair of blue cloth shorts and an old t-shirt. Nostalgia crept towards her as she looked around the guest room. The Heartfilia mansion had over fifty guest rooms. They were always plain and over sized, just like this one. Lucy used them to play house with Michelle the Doll. Michelle was usually a visiting dignitary, and Lucy was her servant. It was easier to pretend that way. Everything here seemed to take her back to her childhood home, the only difference was the life that the Winterbourne family breathed into the long hallways and huge dining rooms.

Lucy laid down on the bed, suddenly weighed down by the past. She ran her fingers along the wrinkles of the commercially stitched sheets. She was determined to bring life to her childhood home. Lucy dreamed of having her children running through the hallways and playing house with their brothers and sisters and any friends they wanted to bring along. She wouldn't turn them away if they wanted her attention, she would cherish every gift, every drawing they gave her.

Lucy was caught by a wave of emotion, she gripped her sheet and buried her face in it. Her eyes began to sting. She sobbed dryly, no tears had spilled yet. She couldn't help but feel a bit hopeless... how could she start a family when she never even had a boyfriend? For a moment she regretted pushing Gerrod away...maybe she should have given him a chance. He wasn't so bad. Still, she couldn't find room for another man in her heart.

"Hmmmm" She groaned.

The door creaked open and Lucy froze.

"What's wrong with you?"

Lucy blinked away her tears and looked up at Natsu. He had jumped in the shower too.

She smiled at him, and tried to give him no opportunity to notice she was hurting.

"Natsu. I have the funniest thing to tell you."

Natsu stood by the door, hands in his pockets. He nodded his head, cuing her to spill.

"I was in the shower and I felt the water with my hand, right? Well at first it felt great. I got in an I was nearly boiled to death. Look at this arm versus this one." She held out both arms for him to inspect. With a look of interest he came closer to get a good look.

"This one looks fine...but this one looks red."

"Because this hand is heat resistant, I'm really getting it!"

Natsu smiled warmly. "Nice job."

"I wanna try making this hand fireproof too...could you...pff!" Lucy did a motion trying to mimic what Natsu did when he made fire."

Natsu's eyes shined. He moved his hand and mimicked the noise she made. "Pff!"

Lucy laughed. She carefully brought her right hand near his flame. She could feel the heat begin to burn her flesh. "Hm."

"Are you focusing on the ethernano?" Natsu coached.

Lucy closed her eyes and focused. She felt her heart quicken as the power swelled throughout her being. The world got brighter, causing Lucy's eyes to snap open. Her hand was surrounded by flames.

"Uh-" She tried to pull her hand away. Natsu grabbed it faster than she could move.

"Hold on." He said. "Keep your hand out."

"I haven't been able to get beyond my elbow yet." Lucy protested.

"We'll get there." Natsu focused on Lucy's arm. "Tell me when to stop."

She watched nervously as he moved the flame towards her elbow. "Focus." He said.

Lucy took a deeeep breath, and exhaled. "Okay."

The flame passed her elbow and moved to her arm. She felt the flame burn her flesh.

She gasped, and pulled her arm back too fast, losing her balance for a half second.

"Haha!" He laughed.

Lucy blushed and quickly inspected her arm. The skin was raw. "Ow."

Natsu looked over at her wound. "That must have happened to me too, when I was a kid."

"Yeah."

"No pain, no gain." Natsu said again.

"If I only I could learn as fast as you can." Lucy sighed. "You mastered take over magic in one day."

Poof!

"I wouldn't say mastered." Natsu said, with Lucy's voice.

At least he wasn't flashing anyone this time. They had made him button up his overcoat before they got to the estate.

"I regret that day so much." Lucy sighed.

"This is choking me." Natsu reached for his buttons.

"Then change back!" Lucy cried as she watched him unbotton the coat.

"I've been wanting to unbutton this since we got here."

"NATSU!"

And just like that, she was flashed by her own body.

"Seriously Natsu." Lucy hung her head in shame. "I hate it when you change into me."

"It's just us."

"Please tell me you've only ever changed into me when I was around."

Natsu turned back into himself. "Yeah, I promise."

Lucy gave a sigh of relief. Natsu climbed on the bed and leaned back against the headboard.

"Well..."

Lucy slowly moved her gaze back to Natsu. "Well what?"

"There was this one time..."

"What did you do?"

"I pranked Happy is all."

Lucy's jaw dropped, she quickly closed it. "In public?"

"At our house."

"Keep it to yourself, I don't want to know."

"Kay."

"So, tell me." Lucy crawled over sat back against the headboard too, leaving a gap between her and Natsu. "Do you ever burn your tongue or get sunburns?"

Natsu scratched his knee. "No and yeah, I still get sunburns."

"I guess that makes sense." Lucy blinked. "The sun gives off radiation...it's not the same as fire."

"I guess so."

"How are we going to fireproof the rest of my body?" Lucy wondered aloud.

"I guess you'll just have to strip down."

"NO WAY!" Lucy threw a pillow at him.

"How else?" Natsu asked, grabbing the pillow.

"Maybe I can just focus and will the resistance to spread?" Lucy replied angrily.

"Focus on doing that and we can put it to the test later."

"Cool."

They sat in silence for several moments. Lucy's body felt warm and fuzzy as it usually did around him. She was still a bit frazzled by his 'Strip down' suggestion.

"It's a nice place." Natsu commented at last. "A little too big to really be comfortable in though."

"They made it a nice home, I thought."

"I guess, it's can't be as great as growing up in a guild."

Lucy frowned. "If it was the right home, with the right parents...I would be happy growing up there."

"A kid needs a bit of chaos to build character. I don't see them getting that in a stable home."

"...No, but a kid also needs to know unconditional love... or they'll have issues."

"Do you think we have issues?"

Lucy smiled anxiously. "Do you not think Igneel loved you unconditionally?" She cringed at her words. That was pretty personal.

"Nah, he did. Clearly he did...or else I would have been roasted and digested years ago.

"Ech." Lucy said in disgust.

"Do you have issues?"

 _Abandonment issues._

Lucy shrugged. "I don't know...but I don't remember what it feels like to be loved unconditionally as a child...I really missed out on that element growing up."

 _Why do I have to make myself sound so pathetic?_

 _"_ We love you unconditionally." Natsu spoke for all their friends.

Lucy smiled as a sentimental wave of emotion chased away her melancholy mood.

"Tonight also made me think..." Lucy said the words, but was afraid of how the rest would sound out in the open.

"Think bout what?"

"Uh...several years down the line." She pointed out. "When I start my family...I want at least three kids."

Natsu drummed his fingers on the bed. "Why three?"

"I want to make sure they're never alone, if anything happens to me or their dad."

"They could always join the Fairytail guild." Natsu said. "I bet there will be plenty of kids to hang out with."

Lucy shook her head. "Even the guild stopped for a while. That year."

Natsu sighed. "The guild won't disband ever again, not while we'll still around."

Lucy wanted to disagree, but held her tongue. She felt a tendril of sadness, escape from the box she had shoved it in a long time ago. It moved at the edge of her mind, giving her a taste of feelings and memories she hoped to lose forever.

"But then again..." Natsu said suddenly. "We won't be around forever."

Lucy looked up at him, wondering why the change of tone.

He shrugged. "I see your point. Giving your kids a family right off the bat, instead of them having to find their own family."

Lucy was feeling bold all of a sudden.

"Do you ever think of having kids?" She asked.

Natsu leaned his head back, hitting the headboard with a dull thud. " I dunno...Probably not."

Lucy smiled sadly. "You don't want to train the next generation of Fairytail?"

"I could do that without having my own kids." He reasoned.

"But if you did..." Lucy asked gingerly. "What would you want to name one of them?"

"Igneel." He said definitely.

"What if you have a girl."

"...Igneelia..."

Lucy nodded. "Is Igneelia a real name or did you make it up."

"I'm pretty sure I made it up."

"I like it."

"Igneel Dragneel." Natsu said aloud.

Lucy frowned.

"Igneelia Dragneel..." He tried again.

"Let's hope you have a girl first." Lucy joked.

"Either way, the kids gonna have to like it."

"They're being named after the Fire Dragon King!" Lucy pointed out. "They're gonna love it."

"I could name him or her after my Uncle Atlas Flame too." Natsu pointed out.

"Atlas Dragneel." Lucy said. "Now that's cool."

"Igneel Atlas Dragneel." Natsu tried out.

"It's a mouth full, I'd just aim for having two kids."

"Maybe I'll have twins." Natsu suggested. "Then One can be Igneel and the other Igneelia."

"What if they're both girls?" Lucy asked, pleased with how far this conversation had gone.

"Igneelia and...Atlas can be a name for a girl."

"I suppose." Lucy gasped. "Aw, their nickname would be Iggy!"

Natsu frowned. "Ick."

Lucy hugged herself and squealed. "That's so precious!"

"Iggy." Natsu said aloud.

"And Attie or Las would be Atlas's nickname!"

Natsu grinned.

"...I can't think of better names." Lucy sighed.

"You can name your kid after me."

Lucy gave him a questioning look. "Why?"

"Because I'm pretty bad ass."

"Natsu Junior." Lucy said aloud, just to humor him.

"N.J." Natsu tried out.

Lucy shook her head immediately. "No frickin way. You can name your own kids after you."

"What about naming your kid after your dad?"

Lucy considered it for a moment. "I...really wasn't close to my dad...at least, not until the end."

"Yeah?"

"I want my kids to have a better legacy than that."

"Aren't you planning to raise them in the same home you grew up in?" Natsu asked.

"What's your point?" Lucy asked carefully.

"Just that...you're raising them in the same place you were raised, wouldn't that give the same outcome?"

Lucy weighed his point for a moment.

"No." Lucy answered. "That's why I'll have three kids. So they'll always have someone to play with and someone to laugh with."

"That sounds good, like Mirajane, Lisanna, and Elfman."

"Exactly!" Lucy exclaimed. "That's the perfect example. They went through life and all their obstacles with someone to lean on...when their parents couldn't be there."

Lucy and Natsu sat together for a while longer, deep in their thoughts and feelings. Lucy dreamed of her kids all gathered together around the dinner table. Joking and laughing. She longed for a family that wouldn't leave her.

Natsu dreamed of something similar. He saw his kid beside him, they were standing on the edge of a mountain. Natsu was teaching him how to breath fire like Igneel had taught him. On his back was another kid with its arms wrapped around his neck.

Lucy let her imagination pull her in, she pictured Natsu at the head of the table. He was telling them stories about Igneel and about their adventures. She blinked and grounded herself back in reality. She forgot about her decision to focus solely on herself. She let her wall down and soaked the moment in. She tuned in to Natsu, watching each rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. She let herself fall for him a bit more, savoring the sound of his voice saying he'd name his child after his beloved father. Lucy wanted him to give her a sign of interest, anything so she could truly hope and not have to search elsewhere for the love of her life. Lucy wondered what would happen if she were to reach out and grab his hand, perhaps he would squeeze her hand back...or maybe he'd leave. Lucy wasn't ready to find out.

"The others are probably gathering in Erza's room." Lucy told him. "We should hang out for a bit before bed."

"Oh yeah." Natsu blinked.

Lucy got up and gathered the pillows in her arms. "You wanna grab the blanket?"

He pulled the huge comforter off the bed and they made their way to Erza's room.

Wendy had made her bed on the floor next to Erza's

"Hi guys!" She greeted. Her hair was wet and freshly brushed.

"Hi!" Lucy said back.

"I'm gonna go get my blanket." Natsu turned and left.

Lucy spread her blanket on the floor. and threw the pillows down.

"Is he okay?" Erza asked.

"Yeah." Lucy answered. "I'm sure Winterbourne's words affected him in some way, but he isn't letting it show."

The door was slowly pushed open. Naomichi stood in the door way in his pajamas.

"Can I hangout out for a while?" He asked.

"Uh." Lucy didn't know what to say.

"Have a seat." Erza patted the bed.

The eight year old ran and jumped on the bed. Him and Happy locked eyes.

Happy took a step backwards. "You're not going to pet me."

"Happy." Carla shook her head. "He's just a boy." She stuck her hand out to Naomichi. "Pleasure to meet you, child."

Naomichi shook Carla's hand. "You're so pretty." He told her.

Carla smiled.

"Naomichi!" Susan stood in the doorway now.

"What?" He sighed.

"You can hangout with us too." Wendy offered.

Susan looked around the room before entering. "Jasmine, come on."

Jasmine awkwardly turned the corner. "Sorry.."

"It's like a slumber party!" Susan ogled. The two sisters joined their brother on the bed.

Natsu came in a few moments later. He dropped his blanket and pillows on the ground. He had taken off his shirt.

Susan and Jasmine giggled, the former covered her eyes while the latter just looked away.

"Put your clothes back on, Gray." Happy told him.

Natsu sighed and left the room again.

"What's wrong with his stomach?" Susan asked, still amused. "It's so bumpy."

Lucy laughed. "That's just his muscles."

"Yeah, silly." Jasmine muttered shyly. Mr. Winterbourne was going to be pissed.

Natsu walked back into the room, fully dressed now.

"I thought it was bedtime?" Natsu said, sitting down on the pile of blankets.

Jasmine blushed. "We've never spoken to wizards before."

Susan grinned cheekily. "So, who's with who, aren't some of you dating?"

"No." Wendy told her. "In fact, Gray-the guy who isn't here- is on the phone with his girlfriend right now in the other room."

"Do you all have someone waiting for you back home."

Erza polished her armor with a hand rag. "Something like that."

"Why isn't he with you?"

"Because." Erza responded. "He has his own business to attend to."

"He doesn't want to see Bellum too?" Susan pressed.

"I'm sure he does." Erza told her.

"I hated Iceburg." Susan admitted. "We had to go through it. It's so boring."

"I heard it's beautiful in the Summer." Lucy said.

"It is." Jasmine agreed. "But all the towns are in the North...there was nothing to see."

"Nothing to see?!" Natsu gasped. "There's mountains right?"

Jasmine looked at him and blushed. "Y-yeah."

"Boring." Susan chided.

"What?!" Natsu held his chest.

"Boring!" Susan laughed.

"Shh." Jasmine warned.

Susan pursed her lips together and gave a quick glance towards the door.

"If you're wizards." Naomichi began. "What powers do you have."

Susan pointed at Natsu. "I remember you're a fire wizard."

"Can you make fire again?" Naomichi asked.

Natsu knocked his knuckles together and a shield of flames rolled forth.

The kids gasped.

"So cool" Jasmine sighed.

"I'm training Lucy to be a fire wizard too."

"Can you do that too?" Naomichi asked, knocking his knuckles together like Natsu had.

Lucy looked over at Natsu and smiled. She copied the boys and knocked her knuckles together.

Nothing.

"She's still learning." Natsu clapped Lucy on the back.

"I'm working on becoming fireproof." Lucy told the kids.

Natsu held out his hand and gave her some fire. Lucy stuck her hand in the flame and wiggled her fingers.

"Wow!"

"Your dad won't let ya learn magic, huh?" Natsu asked.

"No," Jasmine sighed. "It took away mom. He wants nothing to do with it."

"She died on a quest." Susan added.

"What kind of quest?" Erza asked.

Lucy groaned internally, she never noticed how insensitive her friends were...asking kids questions like that. "You don't have to tell us."

Susan blinked at Lucy. "It's kinda nice to talk about it."

"She was trying to rescue the girls taken by Bosconians." Jasmine explained. "I heard dad say that she got too close and she was murdered by another Wizard."

"Another wizard?" Wendy repeated.

"One of the Wizards in charge of keeping the operation secret."

"It's hardly a secret." Erza scoffed. "Everybody knows they're up to something."

"But the girls have never been found." Jasmine said. "And no one knows where to look for them."

"What does the King have to say about it?" Erza asked.

Jasmine shrugged.

"Your mom died trying to save the girls lives." Lucy murmured.

"Did your dad like wizards before her death?" Natsu asked.

"I can't remember." Jasmine admitted.

"How long has she been gone?" Erza asked.

"Four years now." Susan answered. "I was five, Michi was four."

"I guess we all have that in common." Natsu said. "None of us have mothers."

"Really?" Susan asked.

"Nope."

"What about your dads?" Naomichi asked.

"They're gone too."

Susan gaped. "I can't imagine not having my dad."

"How do you manage?" Jasmine asked.

"We have eachother." Natsu answered simply.

"Who tells you what to do?" Susan asked.

Erza chuckled. "It's all up to us."

"Are you siblings?" Susan asked next.

"Not by blood." Natsu answered.

"What about your own siblings?"

"I don't remember if I had any." Wendy admitted.

Lucy wondered if Natsu would admit he had a brother, she didn't know if she should change the subject or what. Before she could decide Gray knocked twice and entered.

"Hey-" Gray stopped at the sight of the Winterbourne children sitting amongst his friends, clutching his blankets and pillows.

"It's okay, Gray." Wendy smiled. "We're just getting to know one another."

"Cool." Gray found a spot in the floor and setup his bed.

"What's your power?" Naomichi asked Gray.

"Uh." Gray looked unsure of whether or not it was okay to mention his maker magic. "Ice."

"Can we see?" Susan begged.

"I don't know, your dad-"

"Pleeeeeaaaaseeee!" Susan and Naomichi begged together.

"The fire wizard showed us his magic." Susan protested.

"I think it will be okay." Erza nudged.

"Yeah, we all know you like to show off." Natsu jabbed.

Gray rolled his eyes. "Ice make, knife." After a brief glow Gray held a knife made out of ice in his hand.

"Wow."

"What's yours?" Susan asked Lucy?

Lucy smiled and brushed her keys with her fingers, causing them to ring together. "I'm a celestial wizard, I can summon spirits to help me with quests."

"Like ghosts?" Jasmine asked.

Susan and Naomichi looked terrified.

"No," Lucy laughed. "Open, Gate of Canis Minor. Come forth Nicola!"

Plue appeared, he yawned and stretched.

Susan cried in delight.

Plue blinked sleepily.

"What is he?" Jasmine asked.

"He's a celestial spirit."

"He's so cute!"

Plue realized he was the center of attention. He stretched his arms out and started to dance, capturing every heart in the room.

For a few minutes Plue continued to entertain the room.

"Good job Plue." Lucy highfived him and closed his gate.

"Aw." Naomichi pouted.

"He's sleepy." Lucy covered.

"Can we see the others?"

Lucy shook her head. "It's too late at night."

"Then, can we see your power?" Jasmine asked Wendy.

"My magic is in Wind manipulation and healing." She explained Wendy did a motion with her hand and sent a paper airplane she had made spiraling into the air.

"Can you fly?"

"I can for a little bit." Wendy told them. "If I need to get anywhere I rely on Carla."

"You can fly?" Naomichi asked Carla.

"Yes."

"Can we see?"

Carla shook her head. "I'm not in the mood."

"Awe, come on Carla." Wendy pushed.

Carla sighed and stretched out her wings.

The kids went wild.

Happy protectively stood in front of Carla. Carla looked at the back of his head, surpried. She cracked a smile though.

Lucy smiled to herself. One day they'd have kids and Happy would have a lot harder time protecting Carla then.

"Your turn." Naomichi told Erza.

Erza smiled. "Requip!"

Erza's main armor appeared over her pajama top.

"You change clothes?" Susan asked with a tad bit of disapointment.

"It's not clothes." Gray corrected.

Natsu chuckled.

Gray fluffed his pillow. "She can change into over a hundred different types of armor in the blink of an eye."

"So you're like a knight?" Jasmine asked. "Since you use armor?"

"Something like that." Erza agreed.

"Why over a hundred?"

"My armor is designed to deal with multiple forces, lightning, fire, ice, wind, vulcans, poison and so on."

"Can we see another?" Naomichi asked.

"Requip!"

Erza sat in the middle of a huge, red strawberry.

"A strawberry?" The kids asked.

Erza ran her hand along the red fabric. "I used this once to attract an army of Vulcans. At the time I was on a quest to find the sweetest strawberry for a cake."

"The cake for Asuka?" Wendy asked.

"The very one?"

"Vulcans?" Naomichi gulped.

"Yes. They led me to find the strawberry. It was a successful quest."

Jasmine sighed, longingly. "I wish we could be like you...practicing magic...going on quests...saving lives..."

Naomichi and Susan frowned, clearly feeling the same way.

"Why can't ya?" Natsu asked.

"Their dad." Lucy answered.

"So wait until you're old enough to decide for yourself." Natsu reasoned.

"Until then," Lucy added. "Enjoy being a kid, living in a nice home with a father who loves you."

"I won't be an adult for like, another hundred years!" Naomichi exaggerated.

Lucy and her friends laughed at the boy.

"Just keep your head up." Erza told him. "You'll be an adult before you know it."

"I don't want to be an adult." Naomichi sighed. "Daddy hardly ever sleeps."

"Especially the last few nights." Jasmine agreed. "We've all been worrying about Tristan."

As if on cue, the bedroom door swung open, Tristan Winterbourne looked around the room for her siblings.

"You need to go to bed." Tristan told them.

Susan rolled her eyes. "We're fine."

"I'll go and wake Dad." Tristan threatened.

"We're just talking." Natsu argued. "Let the kids be."

Lucy bit her cheek, worried Natsu was crossing a line.

"Do not tell me what to do." Tristan hissed.

"Well, you need to chill out." Gray huffed.

Tristan looked at Gray with loathing eyes. "Go to hell."

Jasmine nudged Naomichi and the kids slid off the bed.

"You suck Tristan." Susan grumbled, walking past her elder sibling.

"Go."

The kids were gone.

"What's your deal?" Gray asked her.

Tristan smiled, but her face was not friendly. "What? Should I be appreciative? My boyfriend is in jail because of you."

"Your father put up missing posters for you." Lucy said. "He loves you and you left him."

"You clearly never grew up with a strict father." Tristan spat. "He refuses to listen to me and to what I want. I almost got out of here, until you messed it all up!"

Lucy sat in stunned silence. Tristan was way wrong.

Natsu shook with anger. "You don't know anything about Lucy."

Tristan smirked. "You don't say."

"So you ran away to be with your boyfriend?" Erza asked.

"I ran away so we could become stronger wizards." Tristan told her. "My father won't let us have anything to do with magic, I did what I had to do."

"You're wrong about me." Lucy began. "I did grow up with an opressive father-"

"And you're lecturing me why?"

"Because," Lucy sat up straighter. "I didn't grow up in a loving home, my father didn't care about me or what I wanted."

"Neither does my dad."

"You're wrong, the difference is he _does_ care about you."

"Did you run away?" Tristan asked her.

"I did, but-"

"Then you have no room to talk."

"I-."

"You can't expect me to-"

"-Could you listen for two seconds?!" Natsu growled.

Tristan stopped talking. Angrily she folded her arms around her chest and glared at Lucy.

"My Dad didn't care about me. I was alone for years before I set out on my own..at seventeen. I didn't have younger siblings to care for and rely on. I left because I was alone."

"What about your siblings?" Erza asked. "What would they do with out their big sister, did you know Susan thought you were kidnapped by Bosconians?"

Tristan frowned. "No."

"How long were you going to let them believe you were someones slave?" Gray asked.

"As soon as we made it to Stella." Tristan explained. "And I never thought they'd believe I was taken by slave traders..."

"Your father didn't sleep for three nights." Erza told her.

"I did what I had to do."

"I think you should use the shock of this situation to lay it out for your dad." Gray suggested. "I think he had a wake up call."

"If being a wizard is what you want to do, then pursue it." Erza said next.

Lucy injected. "But do it the right way."

"I'll try. My boyfriend is going to be pissed off." Tristan grumbled. "He's going to have to call his parents."

Gray shook his head. "He was running away too?"

"He saved a lot of money for the bus tickets. All for nothing."

"No," Lucy said softly. "I feel like this is for the best. I don't have parents anymore...it's an unfillable void...I have my friends and they're worth the world to me, but there's nothing like a father's love. I hope that you'll hold on to that as long as you can."

Tristan looked up at the ceiling. "I will."

Tristan stood awkwardly in the doorway for a few moments.

"Was that you that blew a hole in the side of the train?" Gray asked.

Tristan shook her head. "No, that was Ozzie."

"He's pretty powerful." Natsu grinned. "If he ever wants to put his skills to the test-"

"Natsu." Gray said in an annoyed tone. "Quit picking fights with kids."

"He's not a kid," Tristan defended. "He's nineteen, two years older than I am. He'll wash the floor with you."

"Nineteen and running away from Mommy and Daddy?" Gray smirked.

Tristan fumed. "His parents are way way overbearing."

"Tell him I'm in Magnolia, Fiore and staying at the Fairytail guild." Natsu instructed. "We'll see how good he is."

Tristan's arms dropped to her side. "You're a part of fairytail?"

"Yeah," Wendy smiled. "We're the strongest team there."

"I have every sorcerer weekly magazine beginning three years ago. I almost stopped buying them when your guild disbanded, but then I saw that Lucy was a writer and I had to keep buying them."

Lucy's heart soared. She had a fan.

"I read your book you published too! Could you sign it in the morning?"

"Of course. If you promise to pursue being a wizard the right way. No more running away."

Tristan took a deep breath and exhaled. "I promise."

"Cool." Lucy smiled.

"I better go now." Tristan said, half out the door. She lingered in a way that seemed like she wanted to stay.

"Goodnight." Erza bade.

Tristan nodded finally and left.

"I'm never having kids." Gray sighed.

"Screw that." Natsu agreed.

Lucy looked down at her perfectly manicured nails.

 _Less than an hour ago we were talking about baby names._

"I thought they were charming." Erza smiled, sliding into bed.

"I don't know if I'd want to have three brothers and sisters." Wendy shook her head.

"Hey, what are we?" Natsu protested.

Wendy waved her hands in defense. "No, I didn't mean it like that!"

"I'm hurt..." Gray jested.

"I chose you, I couldn't choose my siblings- blood siblings."

"She puts up with us." Gray raised his eyebrows.

"I remember hearing there is another sibling too." Erza added. "He's traveling with his fiancee."

"None of us grew up with siblings." Gray stated. "How weird."

"Natsu did," Happy pointed out. "...Technically."

Gray frowned and looked like he wanted to eat his words. Lucy didn't blame Gray for not recalling the smaller details of Natsu's past. They had all agreed to follow Natsu's pace in coping wtih everything and so far his pace was to not mention anything. It's what frustrated Lucy like nothing else. She wanted to know what he thought about everything, but in the beginning she was too afraid to ask more than 'Are you okay?" Then from there, the longer they went with out talking about it, the more she became wary to ask. Thus a year had gone by. Last night had been the first time he opened up to her.

 _ **You're so easy to talk to.**_

Lucy smiled warmly.

Natsu lounged in his pile of pillows. He bounced his foot energetically. "Technically." he repeated. "But I don't remember nothin."

Wendy sighed. "I don't remember either...but I want too."

Natsu looked up at the ceiling, his foot still bounced.

Lucy silently urged Natsu to reach out to her, nobody knew what she was going through like he did.

Carla nestled herself next to Wendy, giving her support, much to Lucy's relief.

"It bothers me," Wendy continued. "That I can't piece together my past...if I was from this century I could at least try."

"Have you tried?" Carla asked.

"I meant to ask Anna Heartfilia...but I didn't know what to say."

"You can always ask her when we get back." Lucy offered. "I'll go with you if you want."

Wendy nodded slowly. "I want to know."

"Okay. I'll help out as much as I can." Lucy promised.

"Me too." Carla added.

"Aye." Said Happy. "What about you, Natsu?"

Natsu's foot slowed down a bit before he set it down on the floor. "What's the point?"

Lucy held her breath for a moment. There he went again, acting flippant. She exhaled slowly.

"You'd know more about your roots?" Gray tried to reason.

Natsu tapped his toe impatiently. "But does that really even matter? I'm the same person I was before I learned about my brother and all that junk and I'd be the same no matter what else I learned now."

"You have more answers than I do." Wendy said, looking at her feet. "All I know was that I was an orphan, but what does that mean...were my parents murdered or did they die of some illness? Maybe they just abandoned me."

"So you find out they were murdered." Natsu questioned her. "How's that going to help you?"

"Hey." Gray warned. "You don't have to be so harsh."

"Natsu." Lucy said softly. "She wants answers like you already have."

"I don't mean to upset you, Natsu." Wendy said sadly. "I know it's in the past, but it gets to me sometimes just how much of a mess my past really is."

Natsu closed his eyes and became still.

"I never asked how you guys felt about everything that went down a year ago." Lucy said sadly. "I'm sorry..."

"I didn't want to talk about it." Wendy admitted. "I didn't even know how to wrap my head around it."

"It was a lot to take in." Carla soothed.

"I was angry for the longest time." Gray said, "My childhood was stolen from me and I was angry and reckless. Twice Natsu. Twice you stopped me from using Ur's magic...I was always ready to give my life because I didn't feel like I really deserved one. Just knowing that my father can rest in peace now has made all the difference in my life."

"What's your point, Gray?" Natsu mumbled.

"My point is, digging in the past can change everything. If I didn't have that closure I'd never be able to move on."

"I met my mother." Erza said. "I found out that I wasn't even conceived in this century...and that my father was a frightened fool who threw away his wife and child out of fear...I learned that my mother loved me, and gave me away so I could have a chance at life... that didn't really change me, but I still feel satisfied in knowing my earliest origins. On the other hand, knowing that Jellal was controlled by Ultear and didn't truly commit any wrongs has made a huge difference in my life. I no longer feel conflicted for having feelings for him as I had for years and years. I finally understood why he had become so evil overnight...and that was a question that had been eating at me for years."

"When we had kept Brandish prisoner during the war," Lucy began. "She found out that I was the daughter of Layla Heartfilia... she wanted to kill me out of spite, thinking it was my mother who had murdered hers. Then Aquarius showed up and proved that it wasn't my mom, but another servant of hers...I've forgotten his name, but by knowing the true events of the past she ended up sympathizing with us."

"And?" Natsu pressed.

"And she wasn't an obstacle like she could have been."

"She was supposed to stop us at all costs, a servant of her Emperor Spriggan" Erza explained.

"She wasn't an obstacle." Natsu disagreed.

"She could shrink an entire island so small she could barely balance on it." Gray said in disbelief.

"Meh."

Lucy couldn't help but laugh. "You're so stubborn."

"Chase the dead if you want." Natsu told Wendy. "I just don't think it's necessary. I didn't need to know my past, I've only ever cared about the future...one day at a time. When Igneel disappeared-or whatever, when I thought he had disappeared...I didn't let that hold me back, I worked my ass off so that when he came back he'd see that I had made the most out of my situation and I did just that by following his advice. 'Look to the future'."

"Can't you say that in a more sensitive way?" Carla huffed.

"It's okay." Wendy defended. "He's just being honest, I appreciate that. Truly."

"Us dragon slayers are tougher than we're given credit for." Natsu chirped. "We don't need sugar coating."

"Yeah, yeah." Gray sighed, rolling over in his blankets.

Wendy smiled and snuggled into her blankets with Carla.

"Goodnight my loves." Erza said, turning off the light.

"Goodnight." They all mumbled back.

Lucy took a deep breath and exhaled. She laid on her stomach and tucked an arm under her chest and with her other arm she wrapped it around a pillow. She listened to the sound of her friends, living and breathing...using each others pain and testimonies to comfort one another and validate the need for closure. Maybe Natsu hadn't yet coped with everything that happened, maybe he had a long way to go...Or maybe it was just as he said. He could handle every situation by looking to the future. That's how she had chosen to cope with her one-sided feelings wasn't it? By choosing to focus on her future... succeeding in the quest, buying her childhood home back, finding Aquarius, and learning new magic.

Everything else would fall into place. Didn't it always?

* * *

 **I appreciate the follows and favorites**

 **Otakumei  
bacchus in vines  
rmadhumita378**

 **Thank you for the reviews 3**

 **Shout out to the O.G. Yaboimydude for getting the ball rolling!**

 **See ya next time!**


	5. A Night in Yano

Lucy watched the outskirts of Silver flash by. The horizon became more and more obscured by looming mountain peaks. They had rode through a few ghost towns, long abandoned by miners who could no longer find any silver to make a living off of. They had agreed to keep together more closely, not because they were afraid of fighting off enemies, but simply because they didn't want the distraction. Erza refused the reward money, much to everyone's dismay. Mr. Winterbourne had already left so it was easy for them to do. Lucy kept her promise and signed Tristan's copy of her book.  
Lucy didn't worry too much about her, she felt confident that Tristan would acknowledge their advice. It was interesting how she and Tristan had the same ambitions, but the fact that Tristan had a loving family made all the difference. Lucy had to search and find her family, whereas Tristan had them all along. She wondered what kind of wizard she'd be if she had never ventured out on her own. Lucy felt Natsu may have been right in saying a kid needs chaos. However, she still believed with all her heart that a child also needed to know unconditional love and be strengthened by the knowledge that someone believed in them.

"Three more hours to go." Natsu sighed.

"Half way there!" Wendy chided.

Gray's head hung, he had been dozing off for the last thirty minutes.

"I'm looking forward to hiking again." Erza told them. "We'll have to wait until Bellum, sadly."

"Good." Lucy sighed. "I know it's too cold to camp in Iceberg, even in the Summertime."

"Well." Natsu said, sitting with his arms crossed. "If we can get you conjuring fire, then you won't have to worry about being cold ever again."

"Yeah," Happy agreed. "You can keep yourself warm like Natsu did in that cavern."

Lucy remembered being trapped in freezing temperatures on a mission. They were cold, tired, and hungry for three days. She had to fight with Natsu so he'd keep his fire going, or they'd die of hypothermia.

"So," Lucy looked at Natsu. "How are you going to teach me to make fire."

Natsu twisted his face, exaggerating his thinking process. "Hmmmm...I should give you two sticks and make you learn the old fashoined way-"

"Why?" Lucy asked.

"To make sure you really appreciate your abilities." Natsu explained. "You don't wanna take it for granted."

Lucy stared at Natsu, trying to figure out just how serious he was about that.

Natsu scratched his chin. "Eh, but were on a train so I guess we will just skip the basics."

Lucy groaned internally.

 _I hope he doesn't make this harder than it has to be._

Natsu reached into his pocket and pulled out a candy wrapper. "Take this." He handed it over to Lucy. "And hold it."

Lucy reached out to grab the paper with a lack of enthusiasm.

"You got the heat resistant part going on, so now it won't hurt ya to make some fire."

Lucy held the small wrapper between her thumb and index finger.

"Now practice breathing and willing the wrapper to catch on fire."

Lucy breathed and sensed the ethernano in the air, she focused on channeling it through her body. In her minds eye she saw the wrapper burst into flames. In reality it only crumpled slightly between her fingertips.

Lucy breathed in and out again and tried to focus.

 _Nothing._

"Is at least turning color?" Erza asked.

Lucy flipped the paper over. It looked unscathed.

"It'll take time." Natsu reasoned. "Just keep practicing."

"I will." Lucy promised, resuming her postion. She squeezed her eyes shut.

 _Fire. Fire...fire._

She felt a warm aura touch her fingertips.

"Quit it Natsu!" She growled. She had caught him in the act of trying to light the paper while she was focusing.

Natsu sat back into his seat and crossed his arms again. The look of mischief still gleaming in his eyes.

Happy laughed.

Lucy cracked a smile and went back to focusing.

-0-

"This quest has been tame so far, don't you think?" Erza said aloud.

"Our train had a hole blown in it last night?" Lucy pointed out.

"Tame." Natsu repeated.

"I see your point." Lucy agreed, keeping her sight on the paper. "You guys haven't fought anyone in weeks, you must be going crazy."

"I'd kill for another good battle." Natsu said with a wild look in his eye, he threw his hands down all of a sudden. "We should detour in Bosco, you and Lucy can draw out the perverts kidnapping women and I'll fight them off with one hand tied behind my back!"

"Have you lost your damn mind?" Lucy asked.

"No," Gray yawned. "He's on to something."

Erza looked up, thoughtfully. "We could have a wet t-shirt contest in the middle of town...that outta do it."

Lucy glared at the boy's faces as they pictured everything going down. She knew somewhere in that fantasy she was drenched in water...showing off her assets as bait.

"Natsu, your grin is creeping me out!"

It just got wider. "I bet I could fight them off blindfolded too."

"What would I do?" Wendy asked quietly.

"You'd help us fight off the bad guys." Natsu answered.

"Or you could stage a search and rescue for the missing girls." Erza suggested.

Lucy hadn't fought an enemy since the major battle last year. She summoned her spirits from time to time, but for small tasks. Capricorn had stayed on her ass about keeping up her strength, but Lucy pretty much disappeared into herself. She focused on her book, venturing out every once in a while to go on quests for jewel. She'd be lying if she said that the idea of a fight wasn't intriguing...

Erza kicked the cabin door closed. "But, we already have a mission right now. We don't need to jeoperdize it because we're bored."

Erza looked at her guild brothers, pouting from the lack of action. "Save your energy, we'll need it. Soon enough we are going to find out why nobody has succeeded in finding the legendary hoard of treasure."

"I hope it's something powerful." Natsu said. "I want to go all out."

"Maybe we'll have to go through an entire dark guild to get to the treasure." Gray's eyes widened.

Lucy had a hard time focusing on the wrapper. She was too into the conversation.

"Yeah," Natsu agreed. "It's been too long."

"Now that you mention it." Lucy added. "I'm looking forward to using my newest powers. It's been months since the last time I used my star dress attack."

"And your Lucy kick." Natsu pointed out. "It needs work."

Lucy sat in horror as she relived the moment where she was dumb enough to try and kick Natsu in the head in her towel. He had finally seen everything. Lucy shuddered and focused back on the wrapper.

 _Fire. Fire. Fire._

"Maybe we could just work on heat resistance?" Natsu suggested.

Lucy ignored him and stared down at the wrapper.

 _Fire. Fire. Fire._

"She's determined with the task at hand." Gray pointed out.

"You didn't talk to Juvia this morning." Wendy changed the subject. "Is everything okay?"

Gray wiped his nose. "Should be, it is a bit odd...should I call her?"

"I dunno, should you?" Wendy asked back.

Gray thought for a moment. "She may be sleeping in. I think she and Meredy just arrived at Fauna Island."

"The resort?" Erza asked excitedly.

"Yeah, something like that." Gray shrugged.

"That's why she didn't come along?" Lucy asked.

"Yep." Natsu answered for him.

Gray smirked and gave Natsu a side look before looking down.

Lucy caught on quick. "You bought her the spa get away?"

"Natsu lent me a couple hundred jewel, but yeah it was me."

"I don't know if that's sweet or twisted." Carla muttered.

"You didn't want her to come along?" Lucy asked.

Gray sighed. "I wanted to focus on the quest. I can't do that if she's all over me all the time."

"Have you tried setting boundaries?" Lucy asked.

Gray gave Lucy a pointed look while Natsu said "Ha!"

Lucy opened her mouth and shut it. She knew first hand how overbearing Juvia was.

"The main reason we're together is because Juvia doesn't understand the concept of boundaries." Gray told her.

"There's more to it than that," Lucy asked, looking up from the wrapper. "Right?"

"Of course!" Gray choked.

"You're with her because you want to be?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, I waited until I was ready before I finally told her I had feelings for her."

"Aw, such a sweetheart." Natsu cooed.

"Shut up flame brain." Gray rolled his eyes.

Lucy shook her head. "I'd be crushed to learn that my boyfriend spent a fortune on a spa weekend just to get me out of his hair."

"It's not...like that..." Gray said slowly.

"Was it at least a good resort?" Carla asked.

"Pch," Erza looked at Carla "Fauna Island is a five star resort. I'd be surprised if she even remembers to call him at all this next week."

"At least he cared enough to make it a good resort." Carla huffed.

"Yeah..." Lucy agreed, still peeved for her guildmate.

"Wait wait wait." Gray waved his arms. "Don't get me wrong, I did plan a trip so she wouldn't come along on this trip-"

"-But?" Lucy interjected.

"But...I did it because I really need this quest to be successful."

"Don't we all?" Lucy asked.

"No doubt, but with the money I..." Gray looked away, slightly uncomfortable. He had everyone's attention

"Are you going to propose?" Wendy gasped

"No!" Gray said quickly. "Please do not even mention the 'P' word."

"What future then?" Lucy asked.

"Well, I'll...pr- ask her one day...again. **When. I'm. Ready**...but until then I want the money put into savings so that when I do decide to take the next steps we'll be able to afford a house and whatever else."

 _That's so sweet!_ Lucy thought to herself, feeling a pang of jealousy.

Gray anxiously ran his fingers through his hair, avoiding eye contact. "I don't want to struggle anymore...no more living quest to quest to pay my bills."

"That makes sense." Lucy murmured. "I'm looking forward to that too."

"We have to find the treasure first." Erza tried to sober them up. "Then we have to get it back to Fiore."

"And we will." Natsu shrugged. "It's gonna be simple."

Gray looked at Natsu. "We don't even know what mountain the treasure is under."

"We know it's in the Grand Inez Mountain Range." Carla said. "We'll go from there."

"I could ask Grandpa Crux!" Lucy said with a start.

Wendy agreed. "I bet he knows all kinds of things."

"Not in here though." Gray peered out the window on the cabin door.

"Right." Lucy agreed. "We can wait until we get somewhere more private."

Natsu grinned like a child. "See, we've got this in the bag."

Gray looked up towards the ceiling. "You've got to quit saying stuff like that, you're only gonna jinx us."

Natsu frowned. "What are you worried about?"

"You're practically begging for something bad to happen." Gray told Natsu.

"I didn't know you were superstitious." Erza smirked.

Gray settled into his seat. "Maybe I am."

Natsu smiled smugly. "So what if something bad happens? Me, you and Erza are the fists and Wendy and Lucy are the brains...plus two exceeds to back us up...BRING IT ON!"

Lucy cringed at the sudden outburst.

"Keep it down." Gray warned.

Erza looked out the window, but Lucy saw the smile on her face. The smile that told the passing country side how much she loved her boys, as moronic and hotheaded as they were, she loved them to pieces. It was infectious, Lucy felt the shared love warming her own heart. It was like a special kind of energy. She could feel it buzzing in her veins, being stored in her cells for the moment when she'd need the extra boost to do whatever it took to protect her guild mates. Her family.

It was too subtle to see, but a small wisp of smoke rose and vanished out from under Lucy's fingertip.

-0-

The long train ride had begun to get to the traveling group, Wendy had managed to fall asleep. Erza let the teen lean against her as she quietly read a Fiorian Cook Book specializing in cakes. Lucy had no doubt the entire cook book would be memorized by the time they returned home.

Gray scooted in his seat uncomfortably. "Dude!" He snapped at Natsu. "You're taking up all my space!"

Natsu narrowed his eyes and looked at the space between them. "You have plenty of room."

"I'm tired of your feet touching me, they're covered in dirt."

Natsu smirked. "Juvia's got you afraid of getting dirty?"

"That has nothing to do with it." Gray grumbled.

"I remember how you used to smell." Natsu chirped. "Now it's like she's been hosing you down with rose water and coconut. You smell like a fairy princess."

"Screw you!" Gray turned himself away from Natsu and sniffed his arm self-conciously.

Lucy had taken a break from focusing on conjuring fire and was polishing her keys. She tried to do so three times a week.

"Shh." She warned. "Wendy is trying to take a nap."

Natsu crossed his arms and sighed. "I'm so bored."

Lucy didn't know what to say. She was just as ready for the train to arrive in Yano, Iceburg. They were going to spend the night and then hike the rest of the way to Bellum. It'd be a three day hike and then they were going to stay at an inn outside of Irvel, Bellum. From there they would rest up and set out to find the lost treasure.

"Why don't you...? Gray thought for a moment.

"Let's work on your heat resistance." Natsu told her.

Lucy was just beginning to polish Cancer's key. "Uh...I'm busy."

Natsu sighed like a three year old.

"Lucy, please." Carla sighed. "I can't take his whining."

Lucy looked up at the ceilling and put her keys back in place at her hip.

"Can we switch places Gray?"

Gray nodded, relieved. Lucy noted that his seat wasn't warm enough to suspect someone had even sat down in it. Must be an Ice Wizard thing. Lucy rolled up her already short sleeves to expose her shoulders. She lifted her arm so Natsu could run his flames over it. By the time her entire shoulder area was fireproof, Natsu began to look sick. The troia spell was beginning to wear off.

"Aw man." Natsu whimpered. "This sucks."

"Do you think Wendy can-" Happy started to ask.

"Please don't wake her." Carla protected. "We should let her sleep the rest of the trip, we only have forty five or so minutes left. Natsu will be okay."

"Mehh." Natsu moaned.

"I can't judge you for getting sick anymore." Lucy told Natsu. "I was sick just yesterday, and it was hell."

Natsu didn't seem to hear her. His face had gone pale. He gripped the seat of the train, trying to stay grounded.

Lucy shook her head. "Do you want to lay down?"

"Sure."

"Okay. Happy, let Natsu put his feet over there."

Happy moved over to sit next to Carla.

"Alright." Lucy said. "Put your feet up and you can lay your head down on my jacket."

Lucy had folded her hoodie into a makeshift pillow and set it on her lap.

Natsu laid his head down on the hoodie. Lucy had to move around a bit to get used to his weight on her. He hugged his stomach, absolutely miserable.

"You're spoiling him." Gray told her.

Lucy shrugged. "I know what it's like to be sick on a train now, he helped me out yesterday...just passing it forward."

She felt the urge to play with his hair a bit. The pink tufts of hair went every which way. She liked how unruly it was, just like him.

-O-

"I'm beat." Gray said as they walked through the hallway to their rooms. "I might go to bed without dinner tonight."

"We're not much for travel by train, are we?" Erza asked.

"No..." Natsu sighed.

It was a struggle to get Natsu off the train, his legs had turned to jelly. Just for fun, Lucy summoned Taurus to hoist him off the train.

"I gotchu Natsuuuu." Taurus told the startled Wizard.

"Alright, alright." Natsu whined. "You can set me down now."

Taurus let him slide off his shoulder.

"Oomph." Natsu landed on his butt.

"You didn't have to drop him like that." Lucy scolded.

"Ow." Natsu sighed.

"It's good to see your perfectly rounded figure again...I almost forgot how your udders-"

Lucy closed his gate before he could finish that sentence.

Lucy didn't feel like turning in yet, she wanted to explore Yano. She knew Natsu would be up for it.

"I'm with you old pal." Natsu said, much to Lucy's disbelief. "Let's order a pizza and watch some movies."

"I just want to sit in a hot bath for an hour or two." Erza grinned. "It's kind of chilly here."

"I want to take it easy too." Wendy yawned. "I'm so sleepy."

Lucy deflated. She didn't want to wander around by herself, but also didn't want to beg anyone to go out on the town. The boys and girls split into their rooms and got ready for a night in. Natsu and Gray had a slightly bigger room so they decided to meet in there later and watch a movie.

Lucy decided she'd take a shower in the morning, not wanting to deal with being wet tonight. While she waited on her friends to get done, Lucy flipped through a magazine that let her know what to do in Yano. There was a natural hot spring several miles away that she would have loved to visit. There were several shopping outlets and even a theater. What caught her eye was an ad for a local magic and curio shop.

"I wonder if they have any celestial keys..." Lucy wondered aloud.

She looked over to see Wendy passed out on the bed.

Lucy checked the shops operational hours. It would be closed in two hours.

 _I doubt the boys would want to go... I'll be back before they even notice I'm gone._

Lucy put on black tights with striped patterns and a denim skirt. She paired it with a blue long sleeved turtle neck, trying to hide the marks on her neck that still lingered. Lucy parted her hair into two low ponytails and afterwords attached her keys to her side. She tried to find her whip, but it was apparently hiding from her. Lucy was overly eager to find the shop, so she decided to leave it behind. She shut the door quietly behind her and took the elevator down to the lobby.

The air was too chilly for her liking. She hoped the hike to the Grand Inez would have warmer weather. Most of her clothes were made for weather above eighty degrees. In the near distance she heard a man give a low wolf whistle her way.

"Over here baby!"

Lucy walked faster down the street. The flyer for Hal's Magic and Curio shop had given her directions, it didn't seem like it'd be too long of a walk. The sun was getting pretty low, but Lucy was too tough to be afraid of walking alone. Even if it was a different country. Lucy looked pointedly down the road, trying to look like she didn't notice all the eyes on her. Usually she appreciated the time guys took out of their day to take her in...however, something felt off. Lucy worried that she'd have to use her magic. If it were up to Natsu she'd drenched in water trying to lure out a fight. If she could handle demons, sleaze balls would be a nothing to her. She tried to tell herself that to calm her nerves, however it only half- worked.

Lucy had about three more turns to make when a man in a black cloak pushed off a building and walked beside Lucy. Lucy reached for her keys, her fingers were ready to grab one if needed.

"Hey beautiful, you know it's not smart to be out by yourself on this side of town."

Lucy's throat went dry.

"Ay, don't worry about me though. Name is Uzumi, I'm the safest guy around."

 _I doubt that._ Lucy thought to herself, not wanting to speak.

"I thought you might just be a pretty young thing...but I can sense a lot of power coming out of that fine body of yours."

Lucy tried to keep a foot of space between her and Uzumi, if that was even his name.

"I can also sense you don't trust me, and that you're a bit annoyed." Uzumi told her. "I get that a lot, it's hard for a girl to give a guy like me a chance...I mean we did meet on the street..."

Lucy regretted leaving without her friends, she didn't know this place and she had more than enough warning about girls being kidnapped.

"Fear...now that one has a strange taste...I probably sound weird talking about emotions and tastes...that's an ability of mine. I can sense emotions, similar to how somebody tastes food. Right now you're a hot stew, I can taste the fear and annoyance... intrigue sprinkled on top."

Uzumi watched Lucy as he spoke. She only really got one look at him and it wasn't a good one. His voice was pleasant enough, but she could tell he was at least thirty years old or more. He was only an inch or so taller and he smelled like cheap ocean breeze soap.

 _At least he bathes_

Lucy kept an eye out for Harbor Street. From there it was a right turn on Yano, Boulevard and hopefully a straight shot to the store. The streets were empty now, Lucy hoped the next street would be more populated. As for Uzumi, Lucy's mind took in what he had said about tasting emotions. Clearly he had a sixth sense, and was intending to use it. She'd have to stay on her toes.

"I'm a little sad I haven't heard your voice yet, if it's as lovely as your face I'll probably faint when I hear it."

Lucy saw 'Harbor street' on a sign a few hundred feet away.

Lucy was about to roll her eyes, but the urge faded. The street lights had begun to turn on, casting everything in a warm glow. The sun was turning the sky a lovely pastel orange. Lucy was glad she decided to walk, she'd be stuck in a room right now eating greasy pizza.

Lucy was on to him, but just to get a feel for his power she thought to feed him a few emotions...She thought first of how much she loved her friends and fairytail...but nothing happened. She knew this feeling of trust was unsual given the circumstances so she tried to focus on how anxious the man made her. She let her mind run wild with every possible bad outcome...she felt sick with anxiety, and felt Uzumi trade it for a feeling of peace.

"You know, I can do more than sense emotions." Uzumi told her.

"What else can you do?" Lucy asked, suddenly curious.

"Ah, I'm just a natural at lightening the mood."

Lucy chuckled.

"Enjoying yourself?" Uzumi asked casually.

"Yeah, I'm glad I came out." Lucy really was, and Uzumi's company was adding to the atmosphere. She felt as if his company was the greatest gift Yano had to offer.

"So, what brings a fox like you out tonight."

"I wanted to check out this magic shop down the road."

"The Magic and Curio shop." Uzumi nodded. "Yeah, that's a cool spot. What kind of wizard are you?"

Lucy felt a little wary in telling him, but that uneasiness slipped away rather quickly.

"I'm a celestial wizard."

Uzumi grinned. "You don't say...So I'd be right in saying you're looking for some celestial keys right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"With a magic aura that strong, you must have quite a few good ones already."

"Yeah," Lucy agreed, she pointed left. "-I have to go that way- My keys belong to some incredible celestial spirits. I've had them for years, I...uh...just recently lost my dearest key" Lucy felt sadness bloom in her chest, but that began to fade like her uneasiness had earlier.

They both turned left.

"Why, my mother was a celestial wizard." Uzumi told Lucy. "I used to polish her keys for her until she...she died."

Lucy felt her chest squeeze as soon as his words reached her ears. Uzumi had sensed her sadness when thinking of her late mother, and he intensified it. A wave of sorrow hit her hard. Lucy stopped walking for a moment, too weak to go on. "I'm so sorry to hear that." Lucy sobbed. "I lost my mom too, it still hurts to this day." Lucy wrapped her arms around her chest and tried to blink back tears that defiantly fell against her will.

"Maybe..." Uzumi began. "I could hold your keys for a moment, just for old time sakes."

Lucy felt reluctant for about a half second before the feeling was shoved aside. Then from the bottom of her heart, Lucy felt that it was the least she could do to help this kindred soul feel close to his lost mother again. She was practically dripping with sympathy. Lucy reached for her keys... she unlatched them from her hip and held them out for Uzumi to look at.

"Thank you love..." Uzumi reached for the keys.

* * *

 **Shorter chapter, I know. It's gonna be a few days before I can post again so it was now or much later.**

 **Thank you Ethod for the sincere review, I'm so very touched that my work and effort is being noticed.**

 **Thanks again bacchus in vines and Otakumei for dropping another review :) Makes muh day.**

 **I'm excited to see how my characters evolve too, It's pretty much happening before my very eyes too. I have an end in sight, but the journey to that ending is in flux.**

 **Anyway,** **Ya'll take it easy!**


	6. A Night in Yano: Lucy VS Uzumi

"Why, my mother was a celestial wizard." Uzumi told Lucy. "I used to polish her keys for her until she...she died."

Lucy felt her chest squeeze as soon as his words reached her ears. Uzumi had sensed her sadness when thinking of her late mother, and he intensified it. A wave of sorrow hit her hard. Lucy stopped walking for a moment, too weak to go on.

"I'm so sorry to hear that." Lucy sobbed. "I lost my mom too, it still hurts to this day."

Lucy wrapped her arms around her chest and tried to blink back tears that defiantly fell against her will.

"Maybe..." Uzumi began. "I could hold your keys for a moment, just for old time sakes."

Lucy felt reluctant for about a half second before the feeling was shoved aside. Then from the bottom of her heart, Lucy felt that it was the least she could do to help this kindred soul feel close to his lost mother again.

She was practically dripping with sympathy. Lucy reached for her keys... she unlatched them from her hip and held them out for Uzumi to look at.

"Thank you love..." Uzumi reached for the keys.

* * *

"Come -Virgo." Lucy said with a sob. Part of that saddness was Lucy's. If she weren't helplessly watching herself hand over the keys, she never would have resorted to calling on her spirits in a situation like this.

"Princess." Virgo chirped.

Lucy felt Uzumi's grip on her emotions wane.

"Tie him up!"

"Oh, Princess...I didn't think you'd ever use those words, at least...not with this man."

"What does that even mean?!" Lucy choked.

In blink of an eye Uzumi was bound.

Lucy savored her balanced emotions, while Uzumi's look of surprise turned into a dubious grin.

"What a woman."

Lucy stepped closer to Uzumi. "What do you want with my celestial spirits?"

"I told you, my mother was a celestial wizard...I just wanted to feel close to her again."

Lucy shook her head. "If that were truly the case, you wouldn't need to alter my emotions to have your way."

Uzumi frowned. "I told you, beautiful women like you never give a guy like me a chance-"

"A chance to do what, rob them blind?"

Uzumi snickered. "Among other things cupcake."

Lucy gave a noise of disgust.

"What're we going to do to him?" Virgo asked expectantly, she cracked her whip. "I have a few ideas."

Lucy shuddered, trying to shake away the disgust. "We don't need to do anything, just leave him. We don't need this fight right now."

"Ah, I didn't mean to make you angry."

Lucy turned around to head back to the hotel. "You didn't."

Virgo vansihed with a sigh of disapointment.

"Are you sure?" Uzumi asked as rage bubbled in Lucy's chest.

"Ahh!" She screamed. With fists clenched and full of a rage that wasn't hers, Lucy turned to face Uzumi. "Why don't you fuck off!"

"Hey, let's watch the profainity shall we...aren't you ashamed of what just came out of those pretty lips?"

Lucy fought the urge to cover her mouth in shame that Uzumi filled her with. "Aren't you ashamed that your life has come to this?" Lucy was able to spit back at him.

Uzumi blinked. "Low blow, baby."

Lucy tried to turn to leave again, but she felt too scared to move. As if the shadows that the street lights couldn't dissolve were suddenly a massive threat. Lucy's eyes darted back and forth waiting for danger to present itself.

What d-do you want?" Lucy muttered as cohherently as she could manage.

"That's a good question, I don't know myself actually. Maybe one day I'll find out."

"Come Taurus!" Lucy felt the ground shake with the arrival of her strongest celestial spirit. This time, she used her star dress attack.

Whooopsh! Lucy cracked the whip that came with the outfit.

Uzumi gave a low whistle as his eyes followed every curve down and back up. "This has got to be the greatest night of my life." Lucy watched him struggle against the rope tied tightly around him. He wasn't going anywhere.

"I don't want to fight you." Lucy told him. "Please, just let me be."

Uzumi tilted his head. Lucy was finally able to look him over. He had a sharply angled face, with some equally angular eyebrows. If it weren't for his crooked nose, he might be handsome. Uzumi's eyes flashed. "I don't want to fight either. I'm more of a lover you know. Besides, I get the feeling there's a pretty good spark between us."

At the word spark, Lucy felt herself fall head over heels. Uzumi had to work extra hard to fight back the feeling of disgust that was quickly over powering his imitation.

Lucy cracked her whip, and pulled. Making Uzumi fall to his butt.

"Stop messing with my emotions." She warned. "Ugh." Lucy dropped to her knees as every emotion she had ever felt came and left her body.

"Luuuucy!" Taurus charged and raised his axe above his head.

Lucy dug her fingers into the dirt, waiting for Uzumi to be knocked out.

She heard Taurus squeak.

"What?!" Lucy looked up and watched as Taurus clung to his axe for dear life.

"Lucy, I'm scared."

"No you're not Taurus, he's messing with your emotions."

Taurus burst into tears. "That makes me so sad!"

"Lucy is your name, huh?" Uzumi said. "Lucy the celestial wizard."

Lucy felt her own fear make her blood turn cold. Thanks to Taurus he knew her name, because of her he knew she was a celestial wizard. She felt Uzumi take a hold of that fear and twist it into sorrow.

Lucy sighed, suddenly feeling like she weighed a ton.

Lucy huffed, and pushed herself to her feet.

Uzumi tried to intensify her sorrow.

"I haven't felt like that in a very long time." Lucy told him. "It still doesn't feel very good."

"I'm closing your gate, Taurus." He, and the outfit disappeared.

"I've never seen anyone overcome that feeling on this scale." Uzumi marveled.

"Well I have, more times than I've cared too...This is nothing compared to the real thing!"

Uzumi moved his feet to sit indian style, he pushed against the rope again. It didn't even loosen.

"Y'know sweet cheeks, I'm a humble man...I'll admit when I'm beat. Trust me.." Uzumi closed his eyes and turned his head away from Lucy, trying to act sad. "I knew from the start you were out of my league..."

Lucy stood, poised and ready for any emotional attack he could throw at her.

Uzumi whistled a high pitched note, it echoed throughout the town.

Lucy barely noticed the shadows behind her when suddenly a vortex of wind spun around her, kicking up the dirt. Lucy held her hand against her mouth.

"Open gate of the Scorpion!"

"Ah haha!" She heard Scorpio laugh. "This vortex is weak!"

Lucy's star dress helped keep the dirt out of her face. She could see two figures on the otherside of the shadows.

"Sand Blaster!" Scorpio and Lucy shouted together.

"Ahhh!" The screams of one of the attackers faded as he was blown away, presumably to the next town.

One remained, he was a broad shouldered, bald man wearing slacks and a white tank top. "Can't blow me away." He laughed in a guttural voice. He ran at her, the ground shook with every step. His magic made him too heavy to be blown back.

"Taurus!" She called.

"I have to redeem myself!" The Bull howled. Lucy ducked as he swung the blunt part of his axe towards the swiftly approaching brute.

Uzumi laughed. "My senses weren't wrong, you're a handful!"

"I didn't want to fight anyone." Lucy growled before sending Scorpio away. "I just wanted to enjoy my night here."

Thud! The man was out cold.

"If a good time is what you're after, you should have just said so honey buns..."

Lucy gritted her teeth, suspecting things were about to take a turn.

"Allow me to set the mood."

The warmth that flowed through out Lucy's body completely threw her off. She squirmed. blushing involuntarily.

"You creep!" She choked.

"Uh, I better go." Taurus told her as he covered himself.

Lucy closed her eyes, as the sight of her celestial spirit was forever burned into her head. "Ah, sick." She muttered.

She gaped as the warmth intensified.

"Open, gate of the Virgin!"

"Now you tell me!" Uzumi cackled as he took in Lucy's matching Virgo star dress. "Kinky."

Virgo cracked her whip and spun Uzumi through the air before slamming him into the ground.

Due to the blush on Virgo's face, Lucy knew she was under the same emotional attack. "This feeling goes great with PAIN!"

WHOOPSH!

"AH!" Uzumi cried out.

Lucy opened up the ground out from under him and closed it when he had fallen was trapped up to his tightly bound shoulders.

"You're gonna regret that." He wheezed.

"Don't you dare threaten me. " Lucy hissed. "You're absolutely despicable. In fact, let me guess...you're not just a petty thief...you probably have something to do with the missing women, the ones that are being kidnapped and sent to Bosco?"

Uzumi wheezed for a moment. "Human trafficking isn't my thing dollface...but I doubt you'll believe me."

"No, I don't."

Uzumi sighed, she felt her emotions twirl for a moment. This time the different emotions felt weaker...like he was running out of ideas.

She heard the sound of approaching footsteps. A group of officers ran over to Lucy and her company.

"Is everything okay miss?" A sturdy woman asked her.

"I was walking and this man harassed me."

"That Uzumi Makarami." A man told them. "Didn't you just get out of jail?"

Lucy suddenly had to hold herself steady while a sob racked her body. Meanwhile the others full out busted into tears.

"Don't cry for me guys...really, stop the waterworks" Uzumi laughed.

"Ahhh!" The officers screamed.

Lucy and Virgo hugged each other tight as fear coursed through their veins.

Bzzt.

The grip Uzumi had on their emotions were put to an end by the use of an antimagic gun. The officer who used it stuck it back in it's sleeve on her hip.

"Thanks Virgo." Lucy said to her celestial friend.

Virgo winked at her. "No problem Princess." And she was gone.

The officers wiped the tears from their eyes.

"Thanks miss." One of them said, while the others circled Uzami's limp body. "I'm sorry he harrassed you."

"There's Jasper." A woman pointed at the brute knocked out by Taurus.

"Why was he arrested before?" Lucy asked.

"Disturbing the peace, assault with magic power, several misdemeanors..."

"Has he ever...been suspected of kidnapping?" Lucy asked.

They lifted him out of the hole.

"Why do you ask that?" Officer Galaga (It was on his name tag) asked.

"He's manipulative and he used his goons to try and overpower me... I thought maybe he was involved with all these rumors I heard about disappearing women."

Officer Galaga's eyes narrowed. "I've been chasing these guys around for a while now...I never got wind of any possible connection."

Another Officer, Officer Kip (Again, nametag) stood over Jasper and added. "It's worth looking into."

They tried and failed to lift Jasper. "We're gonna need an antimagic gun." A woman told Officer Galaga. "He's too heavy like this and I already used my one shot."

"Alright." Officer Galaga pulled out a black stick-like object. "Miss. Are you okay to make it home?"

Lucy blinked. "Yeah." She turned to look for the right street. She'd have to retrace her steps. Lucy made it fifty feet and heard a few clicks, indicating the anti-magic gun.

The sun had already gone down and the sky had almost gone completely dark. Lucy felt too disturbed to check out the magic shop...part of her didn't want Uzumi to ruin her night, but on the other hand she had made quite the stir by just trying to walk a mile or two down the road.

 ** _'Lucy the Celestial Wizard'_** Uzumi's voice echoed in her head.

"Great." She muttered.

 _I'm gonna have to tell the others what happened..._

Lucy wanted to summon a spirit to walk with her to the hotel, but she felt it would only draw attention to her abilities.

-0-

Lucy had just made it off the elevator when she heard Natsu call her name.

"Hey.." Lucy's shoulders slumped.

"Did ya go for a walk or something?"

"Yeah, I wanted to go to this magic shop...but-" Lucy sighed and rubbed her face with her hands.

"I can smell your celestial spirits" Natsu's eyes widened. "Did you get into a fight?!"

Lucy looked up at the ceiling. "I didn't want to, but this creep started harrassing me-"

"Just one guy?" Natsu asked.

"-Three guys, and-"

"We're they powerful?"

"-Uh, their leader was considerably powerful, but-"

"No fair." Natsu growled before his shoulders slumped too. "There was a fight going on and I was laying in bed eating pizza."

Lucy's frustration flared. "I didn't want to fight, but he.." Lucy shuddered, remember how he manipulated her feelings. "He practically violated me."

Natsu sighed. "I can't believe I missed out on the action."

"Ugh!" Lucy threw her hands down and then pointed out the window. "Just go out and pick a damn fight why don't you?!"

Natsu leaned back in shock.

Fed up, Lucy turned on her heels and stormed off to her room. "Obviously that's all you care about. jerk!" She pulled her wallet out so she could get the room key.

"Lucy?" Natsu's confused voice made it over to her. "What's with you."

Lucy shoved the key in the door and yanked it out. The bolt slid home. Lucy kicked the door open with a bang and glared at Natsu. In a thick voice Lucy said. "I just told you that I was harassed and all you care about was that you 'missed out on the action'.Thanks for the concern Natsu!"

Lucy shoved the door closed behind her. The room was empty, everyone was still in the guys room. Lucy went over to a pillow and threw it against the wall. When that didn't help she went into the bathroom and closed the door.

Lucy slid down to the cheap tile and leaned against the door.

She held her head in her hands and sobbed, surprising herself for crying this hard. She had been through worse without ever shedding a tear. Lucy figured it was a mix of emotions...disappointment in how the night turned out, and in Natsu's reaction...regret and shame for getting into trouble in the first place when they were supposed to be laying low. Maybe this was just a side effect of having her emotions manipulated.

Lucy dug her fingers into her hair, trying to get a grip.

She inhaled and exhaled shakily.

"Lucy?" She heard Erza call her name.

"I'm f-fine." Lucy called back in a thick voice.

The door jiggled. "You don't sound fine."

"I am." She assured her, unconvincingly.

"Let me in."

"No need."

"I'll break the door down."

Lucy reached up to unlock the door before Erza got them kicked out. She scooted away from the door. Erza came in and so did Wendy, who shut the door behind her.

"Ah, Lucy." Wendy dropped down beside Lucy and put her hand on the blonde's shoulder.

Her kindness made Lucy bury her face in her hands and cry all over again.

Erza and Wendy kneeled beside Lucy and wrapped their arms around her.

"There there now." Erza soothed.

Lucy took deep breaths, wanting to erase the last hour forever.

"I'm okay-really." Lucy told them.

"Okay." Wendy said gently.

Her friends waited patiently for Lucy to calm down. She took a slow inhale and gave a slow exhale. "I'm sorry, I just -*hic- wanted to go to a magic shop down the road and this guy attacked me -*hic- He used his power to manipulate my emotions."

"Like, he did something that made you feel a certain way or...?" Wendy pressed.

"He said he could sense emotions and he took my emotions and intensified them or he made me feel what he wanted me to feel so I would be an easier target."

"What did Natsu do to piss you off?" Erza asked.

Lucy frowned. "He didn't even care what happened to me. It was just ' _Waah_ , _I missed out on the action_ '!"

"Natsu cares." Erza assured her. in a laughing voice. "He's just thinks with his fists instead of his brain."

Lucy shook her head numbly.

"What exactly did he want with you?" Erza asked softly.

"My keys," Lucy answered. "He wanted to make money off of them."

"Did he hurt you?"

Lucy frowned, not quite knowing how to answer.

"Where is he now?" Wendy asked.

"He and his accomplice were arrested- there were three!...I forgot to tell the Officer there were three guys. Scorpio and I sent him flying."

"Well, maybe they'll go after the third guy anyway." Wendy wondered aloud. "But, you're not hurt are you? Did he touch you?"

"I'm not hurt." Lucy told them. "I think if anything, when he manipulated me he caused my emotions to go out of whack."

"I'm so sorry Lucy." Wendy squeezed her tighter.

Lucy was grateful for the comfort.

"Well, it seems justice has run it's course...however, I wouldn't mind paying him a visit." Erza said with eyes glowing with hatred.

"No," Lucy sighed. "We need to get out of this town. No more unnecessary attention...He knows my name is Lucy and that I'm a celestial wizard."

"I suspected we'd be noticed." Erza shrugged. "As long as he doesn't know our purpose, all is well."

"Right..." Lucy aggreed, suddenly very exhausted. "I'm feeling better now. I'm just going to take a shower and then go to bed. I'm gonna sleep in our room tonight."

"Okay, we'll stay here with you." Wendy told her.

"I'll be okay by myself." Lucy promised. "You guys should go enjoy our last night in a hotel."

Erza shrugged. "I'd sooner enjoy trying to sleep with out hearing the guys snore."

"Yeah." Wendy snickered.

"Where's Carla?" Lucy asked her as she stood.

"Asleep." Wendy answered. "Carla sleeps through everything these days."

"Even slamming doors." Erza laughed.

"Natsu looked pretty sorry." Wendy said softly. "Do you want to let him talk to you?"

Lucy shook her head slowly. "I don't want to see him tonight..."

"Kay." One by one her friends stood and let themselves out.

Lucy stood achily and fixed the shower temperature to her liking. She washed her body and then pulled the stop on the drain so the tub would fill up with water. Lucy sat in the rising water and let the water from the showerhead fall on her.

Once it had filled enough she turned off the water. There was a complimentary shampoo bottle and Lucy squeezed it into the bathwater. She ruffled the soapy water to make some bubbles. Once the work was done, Lucy lazily ran her fingers through the water.

Lucy still felt hurt that Natsu didn't think of her well being first...she thought of all the times he had protected her and wondered if it was all for the fight rather than being genuinely concerned for her. She sighed and ran through a multitude of memories, most of them were what she had thought of the morning after the gala...the very memories that sparked her feelings for Natsu. One memory popped out at her. When she was returning from the 'Love and Lucky' Guild with Happy and Natsu, she had just heard the news about her father's death. Natsu was concerned about her then, even chewing out some spoiled teenagers for complaining about their living, breathing fathers. Still, Natsu picked up several opportunities for epic battles because of Lucy...The battle for Fairytail, the Infinity Clock, the Celestial Spirit Fiasco, The situation at Crocus when she was imprisoned... Lucy knew beyond a doubt that Natsu would defeat anyone that threatened or humiliated her...but was it for the girl or the fight? She felt around for an answer...maybe it was both. He was just a sucker for a good fight.

Lucy pulled herself out of the tub, the bubbles had long since dissolved. She wrapped herself in a towel and used another to pat her skin dry.

Her face felt incredibly puffy from crying so hard. She didn't feel like digging through her luggage for her face cream. Lucy dried the floor with her spare towel and left. Her friends had delegated who slept where. Wendy was on a bed and Erza was snuggled up to her neck with blankets, surrounding herself with several pillows on the pullout bed.

Lucy changed into some pajamas and slid into bed.

"Goodnight." She said.

"Night."

"Good night."

Lucy turned off her lamp and the room went dark.

She tossed and turned for a while, trying to let go of her hurt feelings. Eventually she was able to relax enough to fall asleep.

She had a dream that they were on the train again. They were gaining speed, the world passed them in a blur.

 _Natsu was on the floor, sick to his stomach._

 _"What do we do?!" Happy cried._

 _"We'll have to jump!" Erza shouted._

 _Gray grabbed Happy and Carla and lept from the window. It opened by itself apparently. Wendy was already gone. Erza threw Natsu over her shoulder and jumped._

 _Lucy froze, unable to move. She willed her body to jump like the others did, but it just wasn't happening._

 _"Scared?" Uzumi asked, sitting casually in the seat beside her._

 _Lucy couldn't speak. Instead she took a heavy step forward._

 _"Train is gonna crash soon."_

 _Lucy took another heavy step towards the window._

 _"I'd jump if I were you. Ha ha!"_

 _Lucy was sucked out of the window, her body gave her the sensation that she was falling and she woke up upon impact with the ground._

She opened her eyes in a panic. It was morning already. Lucy steadied her breathing and ran through her dream again. She cursed Uzumi while turning in her bed to stretch. They were going hiking today. Lucy sighed, not up for it.

She looked around the room and noted that Erza was up, probably eating breakfast with the guys. Wendy slept on her back, her hair twisted prettily around her face. Lucy thought to take a shower, but her will quickly repelled the idea. As for going to eat breakfast, Lucy wasn't ready to see Natsu. Her anger had subsided, but she wasn't ready to face the awkwardness.

 _I called him a jerk._

Lucy groaned and turned back over, hoping to fall back asleep. She spent the next thirty minutes going in and out of conciousness.

The door unlocked and was pushed open. "The free breakfast ends in less than an hour." Gray told them.

"Okay." Lucy muttured.

Wendy stretched and yawned. "Huh. what?"

"Breakfast ends in less than an hour, it's the last meal we won't have to cook for the next three days...I'd hurry."

Lucy sighed and sat up. "I'm coming."

Wendy did the same.

They got dressed in some warm clothes and headed out together.

"Ugh."Wendy grasped the rail lining the elevator to hold herself steady.

Lucy didn't get motion sickness, but elevators were never really enjoyable for her either.

They stepped out of the elevator and followed the signs to the dining room. The room was empty for the most part, she didn't see Natsu or Erza. There was a counter with eggs, sausage, toast and a variety of fruits and pastries. They made a plate and sat down to eat.

"How'd you sleep?" Wendy asked as she spread butter over her toast.

Lucy vaguely remembered her dream now, the only part holding on was seeing Uzumi. "I had a bad dream...that man was there."

"Was he scary, when you faced him yesterday?"

"...Not really. I was a bit startled at first, but his powers wouldn't get him any farther than being a petty thief."

"After fighting the demon Azel and few of Zeref's guys," Wendy said. "Everything feels like a piece of cake."

Lucy swallowed the bite of muffin and took a sip of orange juice. "Wendy..." Lucy asked.

Wendy looked up at Lucy. "Hm?"

"Have you been okay, after everything that happened this last year?"

Wendy stared back at Lucy. "I've managed."

Lucy leaned in. "I just feel like we never properly addressed what happened, we kinda just all shoved it aside..."

Wendy tilted her head. "That's our style, we keep moving forward."

Lucy chewed on the inside of her cheek before speaking again. "But, I just found out the other day that you want to find out information on your family...you never mentioned anything about that before."

"I guess not," Wendy frowned. "At least not to anyone except Carla."

"You could've come to me." Lucy assured her.

Wendy sat up in her chair, a bit awkwardly. "You've been busy with your book and everything, I didn't want to distract you."

Lucy felt as if she had cotton stuffed in her lungs. "Distract me?"

"I'm sorry." Wendy appollogized. "I don't mean to make it sound like a bad thing- It was your dream."

" _I'm_ sorry, Wendy." Lucy slumped over. "I should have been around more...I shouldn't have shut myself in my apartment."

"Is that what you feel like you did?" Wendy asked.

"I don't know..." Lucy admitted. "I stopped going out, except to earn money for rent."

Wendy shrugged. "We went from fighting demons to taking a really long, emotional year off then we went into a full fledged war..."

Lucy sat still, digesting what Wendy said.

"I think we we all got chewed up and spit out...we needed the rest."

"You're right." Lucy nodded. It had been two years of hell, she went about watching her guild split up helplessly, all the while grieving Aquarius's sacrifice alone. Her best friend disappeared with only a letter for an explanation. and then once they were all together they faced what was almost the end of humanity.

"The last war was the worse for sure." Lucy smiled. "But we were together again at last...that made all the difference."

"I agree." Wendy smiled back at her. Lucy weighed the present Wendy with the Wind Dragon Slayer of the past... She had really matured...

"So," Lucy asked, looking Wendy in the eye. "What are you hoping to learn about your parents?"

Wendy's smile waned. "I want to know their names if I can...what kind of people they were, did I have any brothers or sisters? and I want to know how I ended up being chosen for the Dragon Slayer seed."

Lucy felt like those were good questions.

"I heard it was because I was an orphan..." Wendy said quietly. "but I want to know for myself."

Lucy thought of another question "If you had the option to go back in time and stay in the past, would you do it?"

Wendy thought for a moment. "I couldn't."

Lucy nodded, relieved. She hoped Natsu felt the same as Wendy.

"I like my life, everything turned out okay." Wendy sat a little straighter. "And I finally found out what happened to Grandeeney. I've felt so much more at peace since then..."

"Do you think..." Lucy looked around the room. It was clear. "Do you think Natsu found peace?"

Wendy looked down at her plate. "I don't know... he seems to have moved on for sure, I mean, we're going on a century quest."

"Right..." Lucy said, not sure where she could go with this subject.

"Do you worry about him?" Wendy asked."Often, I mean."

"Yeah," Lucy panicked. "No more than I do the rest of you!"

Wendy nodded.

"We're were just on the subject of Dragon Slayers and all..."

Wendy smiled, increasing the panic in Lucy's heart.

Lucy took another bite of the muffin, to act busy. Wendy followed suit and ate the eggs and sausage that she had cut up and mixed together.

"Are you still mad at him?" Wendy asked her.

Lucy threw her gaze to the left. "I'm annoyed, but I'll get over it."

"He looked pretty upset, Erza had to shove him out of the room."

Lucy's eyes widened. "She didn't have to do that."

Wendy shrugged. "You seemed like you needed space."

Lucy sighed and played with her food for a moment. Lucy figured Erza was right to do that, Lucy didn't want Natsu to see her cry like that. One huge emotional mess.

They finished their meal, talking about what the next few days were going to look like and some other topics here and there.

"I guess it's time to go get packed." Lucy sighed, standing up to leave.

"I want to get some more fruit before they put it up." Wendy said.

Lucy took her cup, planning on filling it with more orange juice. She followed Wendy to the food line.

"Goodmorning." A guy greeted her, he was looking her up and down shamelessly.

Lucy was going to say hello, but his disrespectful gaze changed her mind.

"You must be in town for the Miss Iceburg Pagent tonight?"

Lucy set her cup down and finished off the pitcher of orange juice. "I'm not actually."

"Is she with you?" The guy asked, checking out Wendy.

Lucy stood back to block Wendy. "She's too young to be looked at in that way by you."

Lucy put a hand on Wendy's back and they began to walk away.

"Thanks, Lucy." Wendy whispered.

"The men in this town have no class." Lucy muttered.

A wall of script appeared around them, as if to prove her statement.

"Bosco." Wendy gasped, afraid that the man was going to try and kidnap them. Lucy and Wendy prepared to fight.

At that moment, Natsu turned the corner. Lucy turned to look at him and they locked eyes. His earnest expression faded when he caught on to what was going on.

"What the hell?" He growled.

The man laughed. "You tourists are too easy."

Natsu took a step towards the man. "Let my friends go, now."

"Or what?" The man laughed. "Solid script, prison!"

A script appeared around Natsu, but before it could completetly surround him Nastu used his flames to burn up the magic.

The man's smile faltered. 'Solid script-"

"Ah!" Natsu lunged for the man and grabbed him by his shirt.

"Please, don't hurt me!" He gasped.

Natsu pulled him close to look him in the eye. "What do you want with them?"

The man was shaking in fear, severely underestimating Natsu's abilities.

"I- nothing. I don't want anything from them. Let me go!"

"Then why are they sealed away?"

The script around Wendy and Lucy popped out of existence.

"They're not! It was just a joke."

Lucy and Wendy watched as Natsu shoved the man back, letting go of his shirt.

"A joke, huh?" Natsu repeated back to him. "Who's laughing?" He looked back at Lucy and Wendy. "They aren't."

"I, uh.."

Natsu kicked the man to his knees.

"Natsu!" Lucy gasped, she could see the concierge on the phone with security.

"Apologize." He ordered.

The man looked up at Lucy fearfully.

"I'm s-sorry."

Lucy crossed her arms and nodded. She decided that, despite the scene, the creep deserved to be called out.

"For what?" Natsu asked, putting his foot on the man's back.

"Aw, come on-oomph!"

"We're waiting." Lucy told him. Wendy giggled beside her.

"I'm sorry for, bothering you."

"And?" Lucy pressed.

"And?" Natsu enforced.

"For using my solid script against you."

Natsu removed his foot from the man's back and they walked out together.

Wendy laughed nervously while Natsu controlled his heavy breathing.

Lucy crossed her arms and hugged herself. "I'm ready to get out of this country." She said.

"I'm almost ready to go back to Fiore." Wendy sighed. "Especially if we're gonna run into more weirdos like that."

Lucy glanced over at Natsu, who looked like he was seething.

Lucy nudged him with her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Natsu looked at her. "Are you two okay?"

Lucy was taken aback. First he walks away from the first bit of action in months, without burning the place down and now he's asking if they're okay...

"I'm fine." Wendy said. "Just a bit shocked."

Lucy forced a laugh. "It's a hard life for pretty women."

Natsu scoffed. "It'll be a harder life for the creeps that prey on pretty women. When I'm around anyway."

Lucy blushed.

"I'm going to check out the gift shop." Wendy said suddenly.

Lucy gaped at her. "After what just went down?"

Wendy walked away from the elevator. "It's like what I told you earlier, everything these days is a piece of cake." She disappeared around the corner.

Lucy stared at the empty space, until the elevator's arrival got her attention. The doors opened and they walked in.

Lucy pushed the right button and the doors closed.

They stood in silence.

"Lucy-"

"I-"

They both spoke at the same time.

Lucy closed her mouth and looked up at Natsu. He was half turned to her.

"I didn't mean to...to be so dumb last night."

"You wouldn't listen to a word I said." She told him.

"I know." Natsu admitted.

Lucy blinked and looked away. The elevator door slid open and Lucy walked out.

He waited a moment before following her. The door tried to close but she heard Natsu slam his hand on the door to keep it open.

"I don't want you to think that I care more about fighting, than I do about you." He said as he approached her.

Lucy stopped. "That's what it feels like sometimes." She remembered wondering last night if Natsu really fought because of her, or whether he fought because he loved any excuse to fight.

"I don't- gah!- mean for it to come out that way!" He stammered, stopping a few steps behind her.

Lucy's brain froze. He told her that he cared about her. She couldn't think of a response.

"I didn't- _mean_ to hurt your feelings...it's just been hard, I have all this energy stuck inside of me- I haven't had a good fight in so long and it's driving me crazy."

Lucy said. "I'm sorry that you've been going crazy. I can't help you with that, but I could have really used your support last night."

"You didn't give me a chance."

Lucy turned to look him in the eye. "I told you again and again. I didn't want to fight in the first place and that I was harassed. You kept interrupting me to mope."

"I knew you were okay Lucy." Natsu blinked. "You're tough as nails."

Lucy sighed.

 _What more do I want from him?_

"Fighting is my way of showing support." Natsu told her. "I don't know much else after that."

"Okay." Lucy said, feeling weighed down by the intensity of Natsu's gaze. "I get it." Lucy turned to leave but she felt Natsu's hand stop her.

"Lucy, are we okay?"

 _We._

"Yeah, we're fine."

Natsu stared deeper into her eyes, looking for any sign that she was lying.

"Honest." She said.

Natsu shuffled uncomfortably, and then moved closer. It was a weird sight, to see him moving closer to her like that. Lucy smiled and raised her arm to hug him. Natsu awkwardly slung his arm over her and hugged Lucy to him.

Lucy felt her frustration vanish faster than Uzumi could ever manage.

It must have been against the rules of the universe to feel this good, because next thing she knew the elevator doors slid open and she heard.

"Sir?"

Natsu took his arm back and faced the officer. It was Officer Galaga.

"I know you were just defending-." The Officer recognized Lucy. "You again."

Natsu looked at Lucy. "Again?"

"He arrested the guy that harassed me last night."

"Oh."

"I didn't make an arrest today, but I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you leave. Fighting isn't tolerated on these premises. "

"I barely touched him!" Natsu protested.

"He's the one that attacked us." Lucy pointed out.

"It's the owner's discretion."

Natsu shrugged. "We're about to check out anyway."

"I'm up here to escort you out now."

"Can he get his things at least?" Lucy asked.

Officer Galaga nodded. "You have ten minutes."

Natsu moved past Lucy, clearly annoyed.

"How are you doing?" The Officer asked.

"Fine. I didn't tell you there were three guys last night." Lucy told him.

"We figured," Officer Galaga half rolled his eyes. "Uzumi rarely ever calls for back up, you must have given him a good fight."

"Not even." Lucy said, she felt like the battle was over in no time. "I didn't want to fight." Lucy said once again.

Officer Galaga gave her a sympathetic look. "I know you had wondered if the guys were involved with the girls that had gone missing. Just to assure you again, I've dealt with Uzumi for months now... he doesn't seem like the type to set his eyes above pick pocketing."

"How long is he going to be locked up?" Lucy asked, not wanting to chance running into him again.

Officer Galaga grinned nervously, like he didn't want to say anything. "He was bailed out just this morning."

Lucy stood in shock. "He's back on the streets?"

"His bond was over 600,000 Tula's, that's a pretty high bond due to all his past offenses. They really racked it up."

"Who paid it?"

"A cousin of his, I believe."

Lucy stared in space. What if he ran into her again.

 _ **'You're going to regret that"**_ Uzumi's words echoed in her head

 _Natsu will kick his ass, that's what. He might not hold back either. Then Gray will jump Natsu for not saving him any left overs._

Lucy shuddered.

"We'll have some officer's partolling the streets. Are you local?"

"No, we're on our way to Bellum."

"Right, is it just you and your boyfriend."

Lucy's blood froze. "I'm with my friends, seven of us."

"Ah, well..the rest of you are free to stay until you check out. He has to wait at least 20 feet away from the building."

Lucy nodded and took a step back. "Thank you." Lucy nodded and turned to leave.

"Iceburg is known for pickpockets." Officer Galaga said behind her. "Keep your valubles and money close."

"We will." Lucy promised, sliding her key in slot and unlocking the door.

Natsu came out of the room as she was going in.

Gray stepped out and looked at the officer with an amused look. "Are you going to handcuff him?"

Natsu frowned and looked behind him at Gray. "What the hell man?"

"Let's go." Officer Galaga said, not amused.

They got in the elevator and as the doors were sliding closed Gray called in a high voice. "I'll wait for you, my love!"

"I can't believe you stood in front of an officer in your underwear." Lucy shook her head.

Gray looked down and gasped.

Lucy sighed and walked into her room.

"Hey," Erza greeted, she was zipping up her bag. The room was full of Erza's cart and baggage. She had used spatial magic to retain it and was going to do the same until the return trip to Fiore.

"Hey." Lucy said breathily. She packed her sandals and pulled out some shorts to wear with her knee high socks.

"They had a decent breakfast here." Erza commented. "I took some extras for the road."

"So did Wendy."

"Where is she?" Erza asked.

"She went to the gift shop."

Erza looked at Lucy. "There is no gift shop?"

Lucy stared back. "That's what she-" Everything clicked. "She made an excuse to leave so Natsu and I could talk."

"Oh, you made up?"

"Yeah."

"He felt really bad," Erza told her. "He didn't talk for the rest of the night. I had to throw out an entire pizza too."

Lucy felt amused by how much weight that statement had. He was a bottomless pit.

"It wasn't that serious." Lucy sighed, pulling her sock up.

"We could hear you yelling from inside the room."

"Ugh." Lucy put her foot on the ground. "I'm sorry."

"And you were crying in the bathroom."

"UGH." Lucy groaned again. "My emotions were out of whack, I never cry like that."

"We know." Erza said. "That's why we were so concerned."

Lucy stopped lacing her boot for a second. "What Uzumi did to me was...gross. He controlled me by twisting my emotions...he even-" Lucy remembered feeling warm all over and shuddered.

"Uzumi is his name?" Erza asked.

"Yeah, I think he threatened me."

"How?"

"Virgo swung him around and he said 'You're going to regret that'.

Erza frowned. "Hopefully he isn't stupid enough to try anything."

"He was bailed out this morning too." Lucy told her.

"Lucy, we'll protect you. Not to mention you can handle yourself. The fight was over quick, right?"

Lucy nodded, reaching for her other boot. "It would have been over faster, but I kept giving him chances to step off."

"Good. We'll be gone in few hours."

"There was another guy in the dining hall..." Lucy told her. "He was hitting on me and Wendy-"

"How old was he?" Erza's eyes widened.

"Older than me, I told him off and when we tried to leave he used solid script magic to trap us."

Erza gaped.

"Natsu knocked him down and made him appologize."

Erza groaned. "Don't tell me...he burned the dining hall down. Makarov is going to-"

"He didn't actually." Lucy stood up and smoothed her shirt out. "He did get security called on him, the same Officer from last night just escorted him out."

"Natsu was escorted out?" Erza laughed.

"He has to wait twenty feet away from the building."

"We better go soon then." Erza made a motion with her hands and her luggage along with Lucy's vanished.

Lucy grabbed her backpack and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and fix her hair.

Wendy and Carla walked in.

"Did you find anything cool at the gift shop?" Lucy called out to Wendy.

"Uh, turns out they don't have a gift shop."

"Oh." Lucy said flatly.

Erza laughed.

They finished getting ready and headed down to meet up with Natsu and Gray.

"Everyone go to the bathroom?" Erza checked.

"All clear." Gray spoke for them all. "Time to hit the road." Gray said.

Erza led them East. The weather felt pretty decent for a country called Iceburg.

"Natsu," Erza said. "I can put your bag up if you want."

Natsu shook his head. "I got it."

"I'm so full!." Happy gasped, flying next to Natsu. "Carla and I went fishing this morning, I ate seven fish."

"And you're full?" Natsu questioned.

"They were Mackerels." Happy said. "Carla only ate two."

Carla clung to Wendy and dozed. "She was up pretty early." Wendy told them. "I'm surprised you got her to go with you."

"It was her idea." Happy said.

"Hm."

"Maybe she's finally accepting her feline side?" Natsu said.

"Yeah," Wendy agreed. "She's never been a fan of fish."

They passed a bakery as the owner unlocked the front door. Lucy thought of the tarts Gerrod gave her. She had given them away to Natsu. Now she would have loved to eat one. She wondered how Gerrod was doing, if he met another girl yet. Lucy didn't doubt it. He was a total catch, just not for her.

"Three days of fresh air and open skies." Nastu reached his hands up to the sky.

"Sleeping under the stars..." Gray added.

"Bathing in freshwater rivers." Natsu said next.

"All the fish you can eat!" Happy cheered.

"Ugh," Lucy groaned. "I never asked Grandpa Crux about...the thing."

"We'll find a time to do that." Erza promised.

"Yeah," Gray agreed. "Worst case we'll have to wait until we get to our hotel in Bellum."

Lucy was itching to find out all the could on the diamond. All she knew were rumors.

"We're going through Glacier pass," Erza grinned. "If we end up camping there we'll see the northern lights."

"Wow." Lucy gushed. "That would be amazing."

"We have to!" Wendy cheered.

"Meh." Natsu shrugged. "I doubt it's anything like the night sky in Stella."

"I guess we'll have to wait and see." Erza murmured.

Lucy smiled to herself. She felt a wave of joy that she often felt when traveling with her friends. She loved them so dearly. Soon they'd be over their heads in treasure and set for life after finding the Diamond of the Depths. Lucy couldn't wait to own her child hood home. She was thinking she might turn it into a bed and breakfast, for traveling mages. At least until she started her family. Lucy thought of her emotional night and the following morning.

 ** _"Are we cool?"_** Natsu looked at her so intensely, she could still feel it. He hugged her too, Natsu had never been affectionate like that. Lucy felt butterflies in her stomach, thinking of how good it felt to be in his arms. Lucy shyly shoved the memory away, not wanting to give in to her unreciprocated feelings. To her surprise the feeling came right back. It intensified in her core until it nearly overpowered her. She felt like she was madly in love. Lucy exhaled, trying to get a grip. The feeling dropped like a brick and plunged her into a feeling of anger. Lucy clenched her fists and ran her gaze through the buildings, alleys and doorways. She didn't see Uzumi...but she knew he was there.

Lucy struggled to keep up with her friends and hide the attack. She felt the anger subside and happiness made her feel light as a feather. Her spirits were raised a bit higher before he released her. Her friends didn't notice, to her relief. She didn't want any more distractions, just a straight shot to Bellum.

Lucy's mind worked hard, trying to figure out what Uzumi was playing at. Did he just want to mess with her one last time out of spite, to giver her the sense he had control over her? Lucy wondered if it was a way for him to say that he knew how she felt about her friends. Yet another fact he knew about her...

They made it through Yano without anymore encounters. Lucy couldn't help but to constantly look around her, not being able to shake the feeling they were being watched. Even though it was highly unlikely. Even with back up, Uzumi was hardly a threat. It was overwhelming at first, but Lucy was confident she could overcome his emotional attack.

It's like he said himself, Lucy was way out of his league.

* * *

 **Thanks for the reviews, follows and faves.**


	7. Hike Through Iceburg

Lucy impatiently inspected the leaf she had been carrying for over thirty minutes now. Natsu had handed it to her, encouraging Lucy to work on her fire abilities. There was no sign of progress.

"Ah!" Lucy had stepped on a loose rock, causing her ankle to roll.

Erza caught her by the arm to steady her. "Careful."

Lucy groaned and let the leaf fall to the ground.

The trail they had followed from Yano to Greene, Iceburg had become rocky. The trail was littered with broken boulders and rolling stones from the surrounding mountains. On the bright side, the boots she wore were worth every jewel, especially compared to her fashion boots. The new boots did a great job of protecting her feet against the rough terrain.

Lucy looked behind her to make sure Gray was still following. He hung back so he could talk to Juvia in private. She had no doubt that he could take care of himself, but it still made her uneasy to have everyone so far apart. Natsu and Happy lead the group with a good forty feet between them. She could see Happy flying up high and then plummeting down, sometimes doing loopy loops. She could hear their laughter echoing through the valley. Part of her wanted to shush them so they could pass unnoticed, but she knew they'd just shrug her off.

' **What's there to be afraid of? We can take anybody.'** Lucy knew they would say.

Lucy heard Wendy gasp as she tripped on a rock sticking out of the ground. She landed on her knees and hands. "Ow."

Erza and Lucy were beside her in a blink of an eye.

"I'm okay!" Wendy said quickly, flipping her hands over to inspect them. Her hands were fine, but she had skinned her knee pretty good.

"Good thing you're a healer." Carla said lightly.

"Let's clean it." Erza summoned a First Aid Kit. " She gently wiped it with a sanatized towel. Wendy hissed, as the alcohol stung her.

Lucy heard Gray's approaching footsteps.

"I don't know babe, I think Wendy tripped." He told Juvia.

"She's okay." Carla told him.

Once the wound was clean Wendy was able to heal herself. Lucy watched in awe as Wendy's torn flesh closed up. Wendy took the cloth from Erza and wiped away the remaining blood.

"I hate being clumsy." Wendy sighed as Lucy helped her to her feet.

"Shake it off." Natsu called as he joined the group.

"Who's complaining?" Wendy asked.

"I thought they were taking another break?" Happy said, swooping down near their heads.

"It's about that time." Erza stretched.

"Thirty more minutes." Natsu begged. "Happy spotted a lake a few miles ahead. I wanna swim."

"You could use a bath." Happy announced to the world.

Natsu sniffed his shirt. "I smell fine...Lucy?"

Lucy raised her eyebrows. "I mean, I can't smell you from here."

"You're not down wind from him," Happy said. "That's why."

"We'll keep going." Erza decided. "I wouldn't mind the opportunity to wash off."

"Yep, if we bathe now." Natsu pointed out. "That way we're dry by nightfall."

"The temperatures are gonna drop." Gray added. "That's going to suck for you non ice wizards."

"Thanks for the concern." Carla mumbled.

"I guess you better get some flames going." Natsu told Lucy. "Where's your leaf?"

Lucy smiled nervously. "I must have dropped it when Wendy tripped."

"Sorry." Wendy apologized.

Natsu reached into his pocket and handed her a new one. "I've got plenty."

"Thanks." Lucy squeezed the leaf between her thumb and forefinger. Natsu was still watching her so she tried to focus on igniting it. She could feel the build up of ethernano in her body increase, but she was still unable to produce a flame.

"Onwards." Erza ordered.

Natsu waited and then fell into step beside Lucy.

"Are you focusing on the-"

"-Yes." Lucy snapped.

"...Alright." Natsu's voice waned, he thumbed the strap to his backpack.

Lucy sensed tension. She looked up at Natsu who was looking to his right.

"I-" Lucy said, trying to correct the mood. She went blank. "Uh.."

Natsu looked over at her for a moment, then looked forward again.

Lucy handed the leaf over to him. "Show me how it's done. Maybe that would help."

Natsu thought about it for a moment, then took the leaf from Lucy.

He held it out in front of them and barely heated the leaf up so it would smoke. She saw the base of the leaf turn black, and watched as a small wave of fire burned through the rest of the leaf. Natsu tossed it aside.

"I thought there'd be more flames." Lucy quipped.

"Here." Natsu dug another leaf from his pocket. This time he quickly engulfed the leaf in fire, it burned to ash in less than three seconds.

"Got it?" Natsu asked.

Lucy shook her head. "Too quick, better do it again."

Natsu sighed in a joking manner, and pulled out another leaf. "Pay attention."

"Mhm." Lucy nodded and leaned close.

He did the first action again, using just a small spark to light the leaf on fire. He tossed the leaf aside.

Lucy looked at her hands and wondered why she couldn't produce a spark.

Erza and Wendy were having a conversation about weapons and Gray had hung back a bit, still talking to Juvia.

"Can I see your hand when you make a spark?" Lucy asked.

"Sure." Natsu held his hand out, palm side up. Lucy watched as the air above his hand rippled from a contained heat wave. His fingers bent ever so slightly and a small spark lept from his index finger.

"Wait." Lucy reached her hand out and hovered it above Natsu's. She could feel the heat wave brush her hand softly. She brought her hand out in front of her again, trying to mirror Natsu.

She focused on the ethernano.

"You shouldn't have to focus that hard." Natsu told her. "It's almost effortless." To demonstrate he conjured a brief flame.

"I'll get it." Lucy assured him, trying to relax her hand.

"Maybe it's because you're not completely fireproof?" Happy suggested.

Lucy looked at Natsu for his thoughts, he looked unconvinced. "I doubt it, but it wouldn't hurt to work on that."

"I'm already fireproff up to my shoulders" Lucy noted.

"How are you going to fireproof the rest of her?" Happy asked.

"Hopefully I'll be able to just focus and have it spread to the rest of my body." She answered, before Happy could think of a way to make it dirty.

"Then we can have fire fights." Natsu smiled.

Lucy felt very unsure about that.

"Hey!" Natsu exclaimed. "This is going to be great."

"Yeah?" Lucy asked.

"When I run low on power, you can give me some flames to snack on."

"That's right, I could."

"That'd be a lot easier than having to summon sagittarius to do it like last time."

Natsu handed Lucy another leaf. "We'll have to get it right. I don't want to have to eat nasty flames."

Lucy smirked. "My flames will be the best tasting flames you've ever had."

"We'll see."

Lucy grinned and focused on the leaf between her fingers. She tried to 'effortlessly' catch the leaf on fire. Her fingertips seemed to tingle, but nothing other than that.

They approached a sign that told them to follow a certain path to the lake. Lucy could barely see the water through the trees.

"I can't wait to see what kind of fishies swim there." Happy exclaimed.

"I've taken a liking to mackarels." Carla said, happily wrapped in Wendy's arms.

"I've taken a liking to her." Happy said under his breath.

Carla sighed.

They had to go down a short flight of stairs that led them through the trees. The bank was a bit sandier than Lucy would have liked, but the water did look incredibly clear. Her friends dropped their things and began their short rest.

A group of people occupied the bank of the lake about a quarter of a mile away. Lucy could hear them laughing about something.

Lucy dug through her bag and pulled out some cheese and salami. She used a knife to cut a few slices off. Natsu and Happy were already in the water splashing.

"I'll call you later. Miss you too. Bye...yup...alright, bye...bye...I will...bye." Gray tossed the lacrima into his bag and pulled his shirt over his head.

"Is Juvia having a good time?" Erza asked, kicking off her shoes.

"Yeah, sounds like it."

"I need to get a hold of Levy." Lucy gasped. "I never got to-" Lucy closed her mouth. Did anyone else know?

"To what?" Wendy asked.

"To- say bye." Lucy finished, not completely lying.

"I'll see if Juvia can help get a hold of her." Gray promised.

Excitement bubbled within Lucy. One of her close friends was having a baby. Gajeel was having a baby! Lucy couldn't wait to see how he handled being a father. He was such a rough type of guy. Her mind wandered and she pictured the rest of her friends with children. Mirajane was easy to imagine, in a way she was everyone's mother figure. Erza was also a mother figure, not so much the nurturing mother. She'd be more like a mama bird type that pushed her kids out of the nest to teach them how to fly. Lovingly, of course. To think of Gray and Natsu as fathers wasn't any easier than picturing Gajeel as fathers. They were all pretty rough guys, always fighting among themselves like children. There would come a day where most of her friends were married and starting families...at this rate Lucy felt like she was going to be alone the rest of her life.

 _No._ She told herself. _You're a badass celestial wizard with a hot body, you're time is coming._

She felt a little better, but there was still some dark feelings coursing through.

Lucy numbly lined a slice of bread with the cheese and meat. She ate a couple of those and took a few sips of her water. Not knowing how her mood had become dark so fast, Lucy focused on the nature around her. The sun felt amazing this time of day, the steady breeze cooled her before she could get too hot and the ground wasn't nearly as rough as the last few miles of trail. The water lapped lazily against the sandy shore. The water was still enough until Happy shot out of the water with a fish in his arms. Lucy watched him fly straight to Carla and offer her the meal.

"Thank you Happy." She said, taking the wiggling fish. "I still prefer them cooked, but raw isn't half bad."

Wendy congratulated Happy on a good catch and he was off back towards the water.

Natsu and Gray took their bars of soap and were scrubbing down. She looked down quickly, realizing she was probably looking at them for longer than a friend should...

Lucy planned on bathing after her quick lunch.

She laid her leaf down beside her and touched it gingerly. She felt determined to finish becoming fire proof, maybe then she could conjure something. Lucy wondered if she'd be better off focusing on her ethernano intake, giving her more of a chance with her training. She tapped her key, on the verge of summoning Capricorn. She felt anxious about that. Last time they were face to face he gave her a lot of grief about keeping her powers sharp. Lucy really wasn't in themood to be lectured. However, if it would help...

"Open Gate of the Sea Goat!"

"Lucy." He greeted.

"Capricorn."

"Hyaa!" He shouted, as he flipped midair.

Lucy gasped and rolled to avoid his hoof. Leaving her sandwich behind.

He landed on top of her food, smashing the last few bites of her sandwhich into the dirt.

"Hey!"

Capricorn gained his balance and shot off towards her again. He threw his fist right. Lucy was able to dodge it, but he quickly swept her legs out from under her. Lucy fell on her side with an oomph!

"Just as I thought." He said as he straightened his posture, arms behind his back.

Lucy sat up, flinching from the pain coming from her hip that took the worst of the fall.

"What the hell?" Natsu shouted, trying to wade quickly through the water.

"Stop there, Sir Natsu." Capricorn ordered. "I was only taking an assesment."

Lucy clenched her jaw and stood up. "I haven't fought in a while." She said.

"You have never been good at hand to hand combat Lady Lucy." Capricorn said bluntly.

Lucy felt her face heat up. "I've never learned hand to hand combat."

"You never tried."

"That's not true." Lucy protested.

"Is it not?" Capricorn tilted his head.

"I've been working on a signature kick."

"Interesting."

"Mhm." Lucy nodded, despising the attention Capricorn had brought her.

"Alright." Capricorn widened his stance. "Perhaps you would care to demonstrate."

"Here?" Lucy's shoulders slumped.

"Do you have another place in mind?"

Lucy saw Natsu step out of the water, trying to analyze the situation.

"Give him all you got." Erza encouraged.

"Yeah, Lucy!" Wendy cheered.

Lucy exhaled noisly and widened her stance too.

"LUCY, KICK!" Lucy used her power to propell herself towards Capricorn.

He waited until the last second before grabbing her foot and swinging her around towards the lake.

"No!" She cried.

He ignored her and let her go. Lucy flew past Natsu and plunged into the cool water. Lucy flailed around until she surfaced. She treaded water for a moment, which was incredibly hard to do with her boots on.

"Good form." Capricorn's praise made it's way accross the water. "Although your 'signature kick' is not nearly as powerful as it could be."

Lucy had half a mind to shove his gate closed.

Everyone but Wendy was laughing at the show.

Lucy angrily waded out of the lake. Her boots sunk into the sand, nearly tripping her.

"Seriously?" Lucy growled.

"That was hilarious!" Happy roared with laughter.

"He got you good." Natsu guffawed.

Lucy stomped past Natsu and stopped a good distance away from Capricorn.

Capricorn didn't look amused. "You have a lot of potential Lady Lucy. I suggest you plan an extensive workout routine. You need to increase your protein intake as well."

"I'm walking all the way to Bellum, I'm getting plenty of exercise." Lucy pointed out, yanking off her boots. Water practically poured out. "I hope I'll have some boots to wear along the way." Lucy sassily tossed her boots beside her.

"Was there something you had summoned me for?" Capricorn asked.

"Besides to humiliate me..." Lucy muttered, shaking water off her arms. "I was going to ask for your help in trying to learn fire magic."

"Indeed." Capricorn nodded. "Attempting to learn a new magic can be challenging, even to a mage as powerful as yourself."

Lucy blinked, after all this he would still say she was powerful.

"Well, I'd like to see how much power you possess." Capricorn said. "Give me a demonstration."

Natsu had gone back into the water and the others were preparing their lunch.

Lucy sat up straighter and focused on channeling the ethernano. It was a lot easier to channel this time around than back on Tenrou island. She inhaled and exhaled. She could feel power radiating from her being. The rocks and grass beside her shook and then was blasted away.

"Hey!" She heard one of her friends shout.

Lucy cut it off, leaning over to catch her breath.

Capricorn took his glasses off, and stared at her with his golden eyes.

Lucy was taken aback, she'd never seen him without his sunglasses before.

"Lady Lucy-" Capricorn gasped."

"What?" Lucy asked, suddenly nervous.

"-You are by far the most powerful celestial wizard I have ever served. Your power is tremendous indeed, but it has changed."

"Changed?" Lucy repeated.

"I cannot say how," Capricorn admitted before his expression turned sour. "However, there is no reason as to why you should have let me defeat you." Capricorn slid his glasses back on pompously.

Lucy's jaw dropped a bit. "You threw me in the lake, I wouldn't call that a defeat."

Capricorn chuckled hoitiliy. "Ah, Miss Lucy. You have your mother's charm."

Lucy frowned, wondering if that was a compliment or an insult.

"As for learning fire magic, I commend the effort. I'm afraid I can offer you no more help. Upon feeling your power I have no doubt you possess the ability to learn. I suspect you are holding back in one way or another."

"How would I be holding back?" Lucy asked. "I've been focusing for days now and the only progress so far is my arms are fire proof."

"Figure it out, Lady Lucy." Capricorn ordered.

Lucy sighed.

"Do call me when you're ready to learn hand to hand combat, that is more my specialty."

"Okay, I will." Lucy promised. "Thanks Capricorn."

Capricorn vanished and returned to the spirit world.

"Ugh!" Lucy threw a rock as far as she could towards the lake.

She stood up and flicked the wet sand from her hands. She was dripping wet and her boots-

"My boots are dry." Lucy said aloud. It was like they had never been in the water at all.

"I guess your celestial spirit did that for you." Erza pointed out.

"I guess I'll forgive him then." Lucy grumbled.

Erza summoned a small tent for them to change in. Grateful, Lucy grabbed her bikini to change into.

She set her clothes out to dry while she bathed.

The water was clean enough, but Lucy knew she'd still feel dirty afterwards. Wendy and Erza waded over to join her.

"The water feels great!" Wendy sighed.

"It's freezing to me." Lucy said.

"Look at these stones." Erza kicked over a bright red stone with her foot.

"I need to grab a couple." Wendy said as she scrubbed her arms. "I can add them to my rock collection."

"You collect rocks?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, ever since we came back from Tenrou Island." Wendy tilted her head. "You know, when we were trapped there for seven years. That time."

"I like to forget I'm seven years older than I seem..." Erza sighed.

"Me too." Lucy said as she lathered her hair up with her two in one shampoo/conditioner. "I'm twenty seven years old."

"I don't mind." Wendy commented. "I'd just like to look seven years older."

"Ah, don't worry." Erza told Wendy. "You'll grow into your adult body soon enough."

Wendy half pouted. "It's taking forever."

In the distance Happy was flying another fish over to Natsu who was cleaning them on the bank. Gray laid out to dry near their stuff.

"This is a nice place." Lucy said. The lake went on farther than she could see. Out in the distance two figures sat in a boat. Lucy thought she saw some fishing poles.

"Lucy?" Erza asked.

"Yeah?"

"Would you mind washing my back?"

"Yeah, no problem."

Erza handed Lucy her loofa and some body wash.

Lucy squeezed the body wash over Erza's back and scrubbed.

"Is the bikini strap getting in the way?" Erza asked.

"Yeah, kind of."

"Here." Erza reached around and untyed it.

"Better."

"Do those guys have binoculars?" Wendy asked.

Lucy and Erza peered across the water at two boys in a boat. One of them was facing their direction. He stood in the boat with a pair of binaculars, sure enough he was staring at them.

"I've just about had it with the male species." Lucy grumbled. "Dip down in the water Erza, I'll wash off the soap."

Erza did so and Lucy quickly washed away the strawberry scented wash.

"What are you talking about?" Gray asked, standing at the edge of the bank.

"How long have you been standing there!" Lucy wrapped her arms around her chest, feeling awkward.

Lucy heard one of the guys yell over at them "Hey!" He shouted. "Take your top off!"

"The nerve!" Erza growled.

"They're still spying on us." Lucy muttered. "I'm about to kick their asses." She thought about using an attack to make their boat flip over, perhaps her Aquarius star dress would have something of use...but they were trying to lay low.

She didn't want to escalate anything, even if they did deserve a swift Lucy Kick between the eyes.

Gray squinted. "Binaculars?"

"Looks like." Erza said.

"I'm getting out." Wendy started back towards the bank.

Gray didn't take his eye off the two guys, but he stuck his arm out to stop Wendy. "Don't."

"What?" Wendy stammered.

"Ice Make, cannon ball."

"Gray!" Lucy gasped.

Gray threw the ball of ice towards the boat, it missed it entirely. However, the impact in the water caused the one standing to panic. The boat swayed back and forth until he lost his balance and flipped the entire boat over.

Lucy was shocked that Gray so easily attacked them, while she hesitated. Wendy gaped at the capsized boat and gave a sigh of relief when she saw both guys surface. Erza slow clapped.

"Hmph." Gray watched the two guys struggle to stay afloat. They could barely make out the nasty names they were being called. Gray smirked.

"It seems you pissed their friends off too." Erza muttered.

The group of lake goers gathered at the edge of the bank, waiting for their two friends to swim over to them.

"It's not like I hurt them or anything." Gray said, still smirking.

Lucy turned to see what Natsu was up to, she could see him laying on his back on the bank. Asleep! He was literally just cutting up fish! It was probably for the best. If he knew Gray was challenging people, he'd want in on it. Lucy went under water and washed the soap out of her hair. She had to resurface for air and then dropped back under to finish the job. She could sense something quickly approaching. She popped back out of the water in time to see a shark fin sliding through the water towards them.

"Ice make, Shield." Gray shouted.

Thud!

The shark ran into the thick sheet of ice Gray had conjured infront of them.

Wendy turned to get out if the water, after a few seconds so did Erza. Lucy could see a person kicking under the water. She turned to follow her friends.

Gray froze the water so the person couldn't swim any closer and then followed Lucy.

A polar bear emerged from the water on the otherside of the wall of ice. It began to claw it's way over. The beast roared and jumped into the water.

"Persistant, isn't he." Erza said lightly.

"Ice make, legcuff!"

A leg cuff made of ice snapped around the polar bears leg and a chain connected to the first wall of ice Gray had made. The polar bear fell face first into the water. It flailed around and shape shifted back into a guy.

"Bastards!" He shouted at them. "Take this ice off me."

"Take it off yourself." Gray snapped. "I'm not doing you any favors."

"Gah!" He pulled his leg, trying to break the ice.

"What's going on?" Natsu yawned.

"This creep attacked us." Wendy told him.

"He what?! When?!"

"You chunked a ball of ice at my friends boat!"

"He was disrespecting my friend's privacy." Gray threw back at him.

Lucy said. "We saw his binaculars and we heard what he shouted at us!"

"If you don't-" The guy tugged his leg again. "-Want to be watched, don't do it out in the open."

"It's one thing to look over at us." Lucy said. "It's another to use binaculars and shout vulgar demands at us."

"Would you please get this ice off, it's going to give me nerve damage!"

"Sure!" Natsu said. He formed a fire ball in his hand and winded his arm back, ready to let it fly.

"Wait, no!"

Natsu sent it towards the ice chain, shooting through the water like a javalin.

"Ahhhh!" He screamed, breaking loose at last.

"In coming." Erza warned, conjuring her top armor.

Four more wizards rushed over, two of them were soaking wet.

"You're going to buy me a new boat!" The tallest guy huffed.

"What's wrong with yours?" Gray asked, looking out towards the water.

"It's at the bottom of the frickin lake!"

"Oh," Gray scratched the back of his head. "Oops."

"Sounds like we're even." A girl from the opposing side said. She wore her lilac hair in a ponytail with bangs covering her eyes.

Lucy gave her a look of disbelief and so did the soaking wet wizard. "Even?!" They both said.

"They're fine!" The tall wizard griped. "I can't catch enough fish for supper with out my boat!"

"You don't need a boat to catch fish." Natsu laughed. "I caught five with my bare hands."

The tall guy narrowed his eyes at Natsu. "I want my boat back."

"Can't help you." Gray shrugged. "We have to get a move on soon." Gray took a step to leave, but the sight of the lake water rising up to surround the tall wizard's arm made him stop.

"Not until you bring my boat back." He sneered. The water waved back and forth like an octopus's tendril.

"Or what?" Natsu said lowly. Lucy thought she saw a smile playing on his lips. She knew he was hoping for a good fight, she just hoped he didn't go overboard. If he wasn't careful he could set the entire countryside on fire. They were surrounded by trees and dry shrubbery. Lucy knew the 'fight' would be over in a blink of an eye anyway.

"We'll fight." He said clearly.

"I'm not fighting." The lilac haired wizard sighed. "Come on Vera." She said to a shorter black haired young woman.

Vera shrugged. "Sorry Gage."

"It's fine." He said in a tight voice. "I don't need you two anyway."

Vera frowned and opened her mouth to respond, but Lilac grabbed her hand and gave her a slight tug.

"Let's go.

She gave Gage another look. Lucy could tell she was hurt by his words. "Kay." She said flatly.

That left three. Gage. The Wizard who had swam over to them and the other wizard in the boat.

"We don't want a fight." Erza told Gage. "We just want to go our way in peace."

"We don't want a fight either." Gage said, his water tendril flicked. "I just want my boat and we'll let you pass."

Lucy felt for their power aura. They were nothing to sweat over.

Gray exhaled and looked annoyed. "We'll let you fight Natsu. While he blackens your asses we'll be on our way."

The dry friend cracked his knuckles. Gage snorted. "Right.

Natsu tilted his head and thought it over. "I'll pass."

Lucy's jaw nearly dropped at his words.

"Pass?!" The dry friend screeched. "You can't just pass up a fight when someone is challenging you!

"I wouldn't even break a sweat fighting you." Natsu said, matter of fact. "I wouldn't even call you a warm up."

Gage gathered more water. Tendrils of water aimed themselves at Natsu, with enough power, they could be lethal. Lucy became nervous.

"Enough." Erza said. "I'm sorry about your boat, but there is nothing we can do about it. We will be on our way now."

"Serves him right." Carla sniffed. "Nobody should get away with being so chauvanistic."

"Come on!" Gage growled. "We were just messing around. Get over it."

"Get over it?" Lucy laughed. "You made me and my friends extremely uncomfortable."

"You're a smoking hot babe." Gage pointed out. " And your boobs are huge, it's not our fault we can see them from a mile away."

"You have a boyfriend?" The dry friend asked. "If not I'd love to have you for myself."

"Max!" Gage snapped, as if he had any self control himself.

Lucy felt like she had stuck her head in an oven. She was speechless. "Not even in your dreams!"

"That's enough." Natsu told him in a deadly voice. "Now scram."

"Make me." Max challenged.

Natsu's eyes narrowed.

Erza rolled her eyes and started walking back to their site to start packing. That seemed to frustrate the group of guys.

"I didn't want to fight a chick anyway." Gage sneered and looked between Gray and Natsu. "So what is it gonna be?"

Wendy looked back and forth between everyone and then decided to follow Erza. Lucy took a step back to leave as well, she decided she didn't want to hang around the freak show.

"You're really annoying." Gray said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I get it." Gage smirked. "You don't want to lose in front of the bimbo."

Lucy paused. "Excuse me?!"

Gray squeezed his fist tight. "You're really pushing it." He warned.

Natsu started walking forward towards Gage and the other three.

Gage and Max looked pleased when they saw that their words had given them what they wanted. The third guy looked nervous.

Gage aimed his tendrils at a quickly approaching Natsu.

"Come and-. Gage's tendrils flew at Natsu in a blur. "Get-."

Natsu waved a hand accross the air. His flames quickly broke apart the tendrils and gave him an opening.

SMACK!

Gage flew backwards into the dirt.

They watched him slide a few feet back and lie still.

"Cody," Max sneered. "You get the pink haired dumbass, the other one is mine."

Cody looked at Natsu with uncertainity in his eyes. He agreed, nonetheless. "Blade of sorrow." He chanted. "Lend yourself to me." A long pale silver blade appeared in his hand. Cody took a deep breath and got into position.

Lucy couldn't help but laugh. It was all so funny how they had stopped for a simple break and now the guys were being challenged.

"Grrr-ahh!" Max ran towards Gray, transforming into the biggest lion Lucy had ever seen.

"Ice make, cannon!" A ball of ice shot towards Max who caught the ice in his mouth. The force of the impact knocked Max back. He slammed into the ground and slid around full circle before coming to a stop. He broke the ice ball in his mouth and charged again.

Natsu rubbed his face with his right hand before dropping it down to his side and facing Cody. "It's only fair that I give you chance."

"Idiots." Erza sighed, packing her folded picnic blanket into a bag.

"They're doing it for you and the other girls." Happy pointed out.

"He's right." Carla agreed. "They only accepted the challenge after Lucy was insulted."

"That's...kind of sweet." Wendy tried. "He did say he would give those who prey on pretty women a hard time."

Lucy looked up at the sky. She did feel something watching Natsu defend her honor. Even Gray stood up for them.

Cody swung his blade fifteen feet away from Natsu. Natsu figured the attack was harmless due to the distance between them, however and thin beam of light cut it's way to Natsu. Nastu jumped back at the last second. The beam continued into the trees and they watched in awe as it split the first three trees down the middle. Before Natsu could gain his footing Cody lept throught the air at him.

"Blade of sorrow, slice attack!"

Natsu grinned and jumped out of the way. Cody hit the ground and rolled.

Max, still in Lion form charged at Gray again.

"Ice make, hammer!" Gray called. A giant hammer made of ice swung towards Max. Reacting quickly, Max turned into a sparrow and narrowly avoided becoming a pancake.

He flew straight towards Gray.

"Ice make, birdcage!"

Max, now traped in an ice cage, fell to the ground. He began to change shape again. He slowed for a moment as he became too big for the cage.

Lucy flinched watching Max try and break out of the cage by force, it looked really painful.

"We're all packed and ready to go." Erza said, making their extra luggage disappear.

"This battle is going on longer than I thought it would." Wendy commented, watching Natsu dodge another slice from the Blade of Sorrow.

Erza chuckled. "They're going easy on them."

Max gave up on trying to bust out of the cage. Instead he shrunk down into a mouse and darted towards Gray.

"A mouse?!" Gray cringed.

Max lept in the air and flew torwards Gray and began to morph again.

"Ew!" Gray shrieked and kicked his leg.

"Squeak!" Max squeaked as he flew towards the water, bouncing across the lake five times before disappearing beneath the water.

Natsu's laughter echoed through the canyon.

Gray shuddered. "I hate mice." They watched out at the lake, waiting for Max to surface. Cody let his sword droop and stared out with his jaw half open.

"You kicked him!"

"It was self defence!" Gray scratched the back of his head. "Is he going to come back?"

"I guess I'll have to defeat you myself." Cody got into a fighting stance. "Blade of Conquest, lend yourself to me!" His blade glowed and shrunk a few inches while becoming slightly wider.

"Blade of conquest-" Cody charged towards Natsu. "-Attack!"

Natsu easily dodged the attack. Cody turned in a blink of an eye and sliced again. Natsu became too cocky and was a bit slow in dodging the second time around. The blade had made contact with his flesh and a red line appeared across his ribs.

Natsu grunted and his hand snapped to cover the wound. When he flipped his hand to look it was covered in blood.

Cody looked shocked.

"Natsu!" Lucy, Happy and Wendy cried at once.

"I-." Natsu looked up at Cody and crumpled to the ground.

"What the hell?!" Ice shot up to Gray's elbows. "What did you do to him."

"Natsu!" Happy flew to his friend and tried to shake him awake.

"I didn't mean to- Is he dead?" Cody sputtered.

Lucy rushed to Natsu side and knelt down. It was a cut just about three inches long, but the blood made it seem worse than it was. Lucy smelled a rat.

"Do you use enchanted weapons?" Erza asked, just as skeptical as Lucy.

"No!" Cody shook his head. "I mean, not really."

"Natsu!" Happy dug his claws into Natsu's arm.

"Yee-ow!" Natsu gasped. "Geez Happy, did you have to do that?"

"You're okay!" Happy cried.

"I knew it." Lucy groaned.

Cody gave a sigh of relief.

"Seriously?" Carla grumbled.

Erza just laughed, causing Wendy to crack a smile too.

Natsu covered his wound and pushed himself off the ground.

"You dumbass!" Gray growled.

"Ah, what's the big deal!" Natsu growled back.

Gray stepped closer. "You really had to be dramatic and shit?"

"It was funny."

"Moron." He muttered.

"What?!" Natsu lunged at Gray who met him mid-air with a punch to the ribs.

"Ah!" Natsu cried as he landed. "That was a cheap shot!"

The rest of the fight was a blur of swinging limbs aswell as dark blue and Pink hair.

Lucy heard a splash and saw Max swimmimg back to the shore. "Look!" She pointed.

Max tore out of the water and stomped back to the shore. He wiped the water from his eyes and looked around. He saw Gray and lunged towards him.

"Look out!"

 **Whoopsh!**

Lucy's whip wrapped around his polar bear paw and she pulled it back hard.

Max fell chin first into the ground.

Gray and Natsu pushed away from eachother and looked at the polar bear with annoyed gazes.

"What guild are you a part of?" Natsu asked Cody.

"The Stone Giant guild." He answered, his sword had long since vanished.

Natsu pointed at Cody, making the wizard swallow hard. "You got lucky."

Cody gaped at him. "I wounded you fair and square."

"Yeah." Gray agreed. "If you would have taken the fight more seriously, you wouldn't be bleeding."

Max turned back into his human self and rubbed his busted chin.

"How often do you go on quests?" Natsu asked.

"We don't."

"What kind of Wizard guild are you a part of then?" Gray questioned.

"Well we- uh, I mean-" Cody played with his thumbs. "We just got the guild approved, we havent had a chance yet."

"Go on as many as you can." Natsu told him. "No easy ones, pick the hardest quests because those are the ones that'll make you stronger."

"What are you-" Cody began.

"-You're pretty good." Natsu complimented. "But I could have wiped the floor with you if I wanted."

"Fuck you!" Max spat, he morphed into a lion again on the fly.

"Ice make, shell!"

"Gah!" Ice shot out across Max's body, up to his neck. "Get me out of here!"

"You're in time out!" Erza told him.

"Hahaha!" Happy laughed.

Max struggled against the ice shell to no avail.

Cody looked around awkwardly. All of his friends were out for the count now.

"Maybe you should find another guild." Gray suggested. "These guys seem like they're only going to hold you back."

"I'm fine where I'm at!" Cody said too quickly.

"I weild swords as well." Erza told him. "I could tell it's unlikely you have other wizards to spar with."

"That's right." He said. "It's just me."

"Then I'd say I'm quite impressed with your skill."

Erza strode over to him, making him nervous. "So what exactly is the secret behind you're magic?"

"I-Uh-"

"What are these blades?"

Cody looked up at Erza with cautious eyes. He looked around at a seething Max and an unmoving Gage.

Erza gave him an understanding look and removed her weapons and armor. "I'm sorry for how things turned out," She said, reaching her hand out. "I'm Erza Scarlet, of Fiore."

Cody looked at her hand and decided to shake it. "Cody Ysa, of..Iceburg."

"So, what exactly are the swords you were summoning?"

"The Legendary blades of Captain Yuros."

"Who?" Wendy asked, intrigued.

"He was a pirate who created powerful swords to use in battle against sea dragons and...anyone else that threatened him."

"How did you get a hold of them?" Lucy asked.

"Captain Yuros was my fourth great grandfather, only those who share his blood can summon the swords. My uncle taught me how."

"That's so cool!" Natsu gushed.

"How were they made exactly?" Erza questioned.

Cody's eyes lit up. "The Blade of Conquest is made out of the armor of defeated pirate kings. The Blade of Sorrow is made out of the wedding bands of defeated soldiers from the Battle of Charlotte. There is also a Blade of Chaos, but only a highly skilled descendant can wield it." Cody shuffled uncomfortably. "I haven't been able to use that one yet."

"The wedding bands of defeated soldiers?" Carla repeated.

"That sounds awful." Wendy frowned.

"The Blade of Conquest sounds pretty cool though." Natsu commented, holding a rag to his side.

"How will you obtain the Blade of Chaos?" Erza asked.

"I'm not sure-," Cody admitted.

"Freezing my ass off here!" Max complained.

"-Not much is known about it, except that it exists."

"Then how do you _really_ know it exists?" Natsu asked.

Cody laughed nervously and shrugged.

"Why not go on a quest to find it?" Erza asked.

Cody straightened up. "I do mean to find it. No descendant of Captain Yuros has wielded all three swords. I want to be the first."

"Well, good luck." Gray said.

"Uh, can you take your ice back?" Cody asked, nodding towards a struggling Max.

"I got this." Natsu walked over to him and punched the ice, shattering it.

"Ah!" Max cried. "Are you trying to kill me?!" He lept to his feet, seething.

"Calm the fuck down." Natsu told him before walking back to his friends.

"I'm not done fighting." Max growled.

"We are." Erza snapped. "You're making a fool of yourself and your guild."

Max looked at her with an incredulous look.

"We're burning daylight." Gray said, checking the sun's placement in the sky for the time of day.

"Where are you going?" Cody asked.

"We're backpacking to Bellum." Lucy told him.

"And you're from Fiore?" Cody gaped.

"What about it?"

"There's a border war going on between most of the countries that way. If they find out you're from a Western country you might find yourself in a lot of trouble."

"I didn't think it was that serious." Erza spoke.

"It's a clash between the east and west." Cody elaborated. "Iceburg is trying to stay neutral but there is just too many eastern and western countries depending on trade to function. Not to mention it has a lot of tension with Bosco."

"They used to be the same country." Erza remembered.

"Yeah," Cody said. "The King of Bosco is constantly giving out threats of invasion and war. However, the Parliment of Iceburg haven't responded to any of the threats. They make us seem weak."

"Wow." Gray said. "We haven't heard much of anything like this back home."

"There is a lot of poverty in Bosco." Cody told them. "Iceburg and Silver were the richest pieces of land. The land only gets better the farther west you go. I'm not surprised you haven't heard much about this, Fiore must be a paradise."

Lucy felt unsettled. Fiore was beautiful and all, but it was no paradise.

"Fiore has it's own problems." Natsu defended.

Natsu's tone startled Cody who blinked. "You mean the battle last year?"

"Among other things." Gray finished.

"We heard about the war." Cody said. "There were cults everywhere worshipping the Wizard of Death"

"What happened to them?" Erza asked.

Lucy gave a quick look towards Natsu. His eyebrows furrowed and his hand squeezed the rag at his side.

"Many dispersed, but there are still a few here and there. Many of them think he'll return, saying he is immortal or something."

The group was quiet for a moment.

"Dumbasses." Natsu spat.

"Yeah, I'm not very tolerant went it comes to cults." Cody laughed. "They're all kinda dumb."

"I guess we better go now." Lucy said quietly. "Erza, can you summon that changing tent?"

"Yeah."

Lucy grabbed her spare clothes and quickly changed into them. Her hair was still pretty wet but she was able to brush it back and fix it into a bun. It was Wendy's turn next.

Gray was ready to go, he was still talking to Max and Cody while the others got ready.

Erza was cleaning Natsu's cut.

"Gah!" He cried as she poured disinfectant over the wound.

"It doesn't hurt." Erza told him.

Natsu whined.

She put a bandage over his wound. "We'll change it tonight. Don't pick at it."

"Okay."

"I guess we're all set." Erza told them.

"I'm sorry for coming on too strong." Max told Lucy who frowned and stepped away from him.

"If you ever come through here again," He said to her quickly retreating back. "Ask for me and I'll show you around."

"No thank you." Lucy said clearly.

"Is he going to be okay?" Wendy asked of Gage.

Cody knelt beside his guildmate and checked for a pulse. "Yeah, he has a thick skull."

Lucy lead the way to the stairs that would take them to their main path. Gray and Wendy followed.

"I can't apologize for Gage." He told Erza. "But I do apologize for any offense inflicted upon you and the others."

Erza slapped Cody on the arm. "Take care Cody Ysa."

He nodded.

Erza and Natsu caught up with the others.

"Well, that was interesting." Erza commented.

"Imagine how boring the day would have been if Natsu hadn't wanted to stop here." Carla said.

"Well, we wouldn't be so far behind." Gray half muttered.

"I'm still fired up." Natsu pouted. "I need something mean and powerful to fight."

"Our time is coming." Erza promised. "I can feel it."

"I need to punch something." Natsu looked at his hands.

 _ **I have all this energy stuck inside of me. I haven't had a good fight in so long and it's driving me crazy.**_

Lucy bit her cheek, she wondered if he'd ever be satisfied again after the major battles he had been in the last three years. They had fought and won several impossible fights. She found herself hoping that Natsu would find a good fight awaiting him in Bellum, even though she dreaded the idea of going through something on the scale of -or even on half the scale of- their previous battle ever again.

"At least you and Gray got to fight a little bit." Wendy tried.

Gray snorted and Natsu spoke "Pch, that couldn't be called a fight. All I did was dodge clumsy attacks."

"Wah wah wah." Erza poked.

Natsu sighed in defeat.

"They seemed pretty decent for Wizards starting out." Wendy commented.

"Max had quite a few take over spells mastered." Erza pointed out.

"I felt his magical aura." Lucy added. "He seemed powerful enough."

It was quiet and then she heard Happy snort.

She turned to look and saw Natsu and Gray snickering.

"What?" She looked around her self conciously.

"I didn't know you even got a chance to touch his magical-" Happy burst.

"Seriously?" Lucy snapped.

"Immature as always." Carla sighed. "Don't you think poor Lucy has suffered enough for one day?"

Natsu and Gray tried to control their amusement.

Lucy wrapped her arms around her chest and walked farther from anything male.

"Sorry Lucy." Happy flew over to her, Lucy shrugged him off.

"Aw, Lighten up Lucy." Natsu said. "He was just teasing."

Lucy pursed her lips together. Not knowing how to make him understand how uncomfortable they made her. They had all seen her naked, he could change into her on a whim at anytime, and so on. She felt exposed all the time.

She walked a few paces behind Erza, watching her step so she wouldn't trip like Wendy had. As much as she didn't really care to be walking for three days straight, Lucy couldn't deny that the scenery was gorgeous. The ground leading up to the mountains was green and flowing with multicolored wild flowers. Wendy stopped every once in a while to inspect a stone that interested her.

"This is nice." She heard Natsu say.

"Yeah..." Lucy agreed, not feeling up to a conversation.

"Nothing compared to Fiore's mountains, but good enough."

"Yep."

"How much longer?" Happy whined.

"Sunset." Erza answered.

"Ugh." He groaned.

"Here." Natsu pulled out a sock and rolled it up. "We can play fetch."

"You're joking." Happy muttered.

"Just trying."

"I can recite to you pages three through two hundred and seventy-five of the cookbook I'm reading?" Erza suggested.

"No thank you." Happy said quickly.

"Lemon sponge cake." She stated. "A light and fluffy dessert ideal for parties set out in the sunshine. Grab your Zesty Lemonade (Page twenty-six) and dive right into Summer. Ingredients. Two and a half cups flour, one stick of butter, 1 teaspoon of salt, one fourth cup of lemon zest, one fourth cup of lemon juice...

Lucy tuned Erza out, and so did the others eventually. Lucy thought back to how quickly Natsu had covered the distance between him and Gage, punching him in the face after he had insulted her. He was doing so good in holding back the urge to challenge them until them. Lucy's mouth turned up at the corners. She would have just shrugged off the insult as she had countless other times. It made her appreciate for a moment, how Natsu didn't pine over her like other guys. He was like her escape.

-0-

Slowly but surely, the sun had reached the horizon and they were finally able to stop for the night. It was a long day and Lucy would happily see it come to an end.

They didn't suspect any rain so there would be no need for tents. A few of them swept through the area for fire wood. Lucy gathered some stones and made a ring for the campfire.

Natsu pulled out his small lunch box they used to keep the fish fillets fresh in. Lucy laid out a blanket and sat down to unlace her shoes. She stretched out each leg, picking off specks of mud. Then she grabbed her backpack and pulled out a nail file, it had been a while and she had to fix a chipped nail.

Wendy and Gray dropped their last haul of wood on the ground next to Natsu, who then helped get the wood positioned before standing back.

They waited.

"What are you waiting for?" Gray asked. "I'm starving."

"I suddenly forgot how to make fire." He shrugged. "It's up to Lucy now."

Lucy was fervently filing her nail but stopped after hearing her name. "What?"

"We need you to light the campfire, apparently."

Lucy was a bit slow in understanding what was going on.

 _But Natsu lights the campfire-_

 _"_ Oh, I get it!" She stood up and went to the pile of wood.

She tried to remember how Natsu did it. She looked at her hand and waved it over the wood. A bit faster this time, Nothing. She waved her hand over again, focusing on letting it be natural and not forced. Still nothing.

Lucy sighed and knelt down. Thinking maybe it'd help if she touched the wood. She put her hand over a small log and focused her ethernano, to no avail.

For several minutes Lucy did all she could to try and start a fire. The sun had disappeared behind the trees, bringing the night in behind it.

"It's not happening." Lucy sighed.

"You're gonna make fire," Natsu told her. "One way or another." He handed her two flint stones.

"With these?"

"It's easy." He promised, piling up some tinder and dry grass. "Hold them like this." He grabbed her wrist and positioned it above her other wrist, lining up the stones.

"Then," He said. "You scrape the stones together and make a spark. He guided her top hand and together they scraped the bottom stone. "Try it again." He said, letting her go.

Lucy exhaled and did as he said.

"Try again."

She did, again and again. Around the eighth try she saw a spark.

"Nice, try and get it to land on the grass pile."

Lucy scraped again and again, eventually she figured out the right spot to hit.

Clack clack clack clack.

The sparks were hitting the grass pile, but none stuck.

Lucy leaned up and stretched her cramping back and then went back to work.

Clack clack clack clack clackclackclackclackclack!

Lucy groaned, but still felt determined. There would be fire tonight!

She stopped only to stretch and wipe sweat away.

Natsu sat beside her patiently.

Wendy and the others prepared their bedding.

Finally a spark had stuck to the dry grass and glowed a bright red. Lucy watched in awe.

"Blow on it!" Natsu told her.

By the time she could try it had died.

"Damn it." She cursed.

Natsu patted her back. "You're almost there."

Lucy grinned and went back to work. In a short while another spark stuck and Lucy bent over to breathe life into it. She was too late again, and watched it die sadly. It was already dark at this point. Gray looked peeved, but tried not to bother them. Lucy frowned and started it up again.

Clack clack clack clack

This time the spark stuck, Lucy quickly bent to blow air and to her amazement the pile of grass smoked and she nearly cried watching a fire bloom in the middle.

Natsu passed her some more fuel. She piled it on top, feeding the fire.

"You gotta move it to the campfire." Natsu told her.

Lucy looked at the fire. She still had the instinct to not touch fire.

"You're fireproof, right?" He asked.

"Yeah." Lucy moved her hands in to make sure she still was in fact fireproof and scooped up the fire. She placed it under the logs, noting the tingling sensation in her palm.

"How's your hands?" Natsu asked.

She inspected them, they were covered in soot.

"Fine." She said.

Her friends clapped for her. Lucy gave a satisfied smile.

"About time." Gray grumbled.

"Is the Ice Wizard cold?" Natsu asked in a patronizing tone.

"No but he's hungry." Gray placed two cinder blocks on either side of the steady going fire and brought out a cooking grate.

"That's why you eat raw fish like me." Happy told them. "Then you don't need fire."

"Ew." Wendy shuddered.

"It's not that bad." Carla promised.

They gathered around the fire, sitting on their mats and eating a hot dinner. Lucy had some stuff for s'mores afterwards.

"So what are we going to do if we run into angry easterners." Gray asked. "Both Mr. Winterbourne and Cody warned us about them, that's an omen if I ever believed in omens."

"We'll cross that bridge _when_ and _if_ we get to it." Erza said. "As long as we keep our heads down, we should be able to make it to Bellum without issue."

" _'Omen_ '." Natsu huffed.

"I said _'if'_ I believed in omens." Gray said with a full mouth.

"He has a point." Wendy said. "Either way, it's likely to run into some trouble."

"Here's hoping." Natsu grinned and so did Gray. Lucy even saw Erza crack a smile.

Lucy felt deep down, an urge of her own. She wanted a chance to prove her strength. The fight with Uzumi was like their fight with the Stone Giant guild, barely a warm up but just enough to make her want more.

Two more days of walking and they would finally make it to Bellum. Lucy could hardly wait.

* * *

 **A whole week, blah. Sure did go by quickly. Thank you for the reviews,  
-Bacchus in vines  
-Ashthenerdystargazer  
** **I truly appreciate them.**

 **-Lemon-Moon**


	8. Hike Through Iceburg: New Faces

Lucy sat with her right leg stretched in front of her. Erza was nearby sharpening her sword while the others got in a few extra minutes of sleep.

"Here we go." Natsu told her as he held a flame near her foot.

She held her breath, instinctively expecting pain.

"Okay." She said tightly.

He slowly moved the the flame so her toes went through and then he continued around her leg, making sure she was fire proof. She became more and more nervous the higher he went until He stopped at her knee.

"That was easy." Natsu commented.

"Maybe my focusing paid off?" Lucy suggested. "And I'm fully fire proof now."

Natsu looked at her with a mischevious tint. "Only one way to find out."

Lucy scrunched up her eyebrows. "I don't know, we should still take it slow."

"Don't you want to know though?"

Lucy held her breath before exhaling. They had already covered her limbs, all that was left was the more private areas on her body.

"Just lift up your shirt a bit." Natsu told her, making her face burn. "We'll try your back."

Lucy gave a quick look around the campsite. It was just Erza anyway.

They stood up and Lucy lifted her shirt half way.

"This is so silly." She sighed.

"Feel anything?" He asked.

She could feel the flame, but it wasn't unlike feeling a breeze on her skin. She felt his hand lift her shirt up a bit more, probably to keep it out of the fire.

"No pain."

"Good." He went around her and waved the flame around her abdomen.

"Nothing." Lucy said, pleased.

Natsu stepped closer.

"I'll check your head now."

Lucy stepped back. "I don't want you to burn my hair off."

"Give me a hair." He told her.

Lucy figured out where he was going with that. She ran her fingers through her hair and pulled away a few loose strands.

Natsu held them and tried to light them on fire. The strands moved around, but they didn't burn.

"No way." Lucy breathed.

Natsu headed towards her face with a small flame.

"Wait." Lucy panicked. She shook out her hands to get the nervousness out.

Natsu waited patiently for her to get a grip.

"Okay."

Natsu lifted the flame a few inches from her face. Lucy tried to stay brave. She felt the heat wave lap at her cheek, but it didn't burn her. He went up towards her forehead and from cheek to cheek. Finally he grabbed a few strands of hair and tested them. Lucy was happy to see that her hair didn't burn away at once.

"We did it." He chirped.

"We did-" Lucy began, but stopped as shivers ran down her body like water. Natsu had slid his fingers into her hair with both hands on either side of her face. She could feel the fire painlessly pass over, but it was his touch that made her feel like she was burning.

Natsu laughed, pleased with their progress.

"Good job." Erza called over.

"Next step is to produce fire."

"Capricorn thought that I was holding back." Lucy said.

"Try now." Natsu urged her.

Lucy held her hand out and willed a flame to appear.

"How are you you holding back?"

"No clue." Lucy told him. "I'm fireproof now, so all the excuses are used up."

"Hm." Natsu moved and put his hand over hers and squeezed it.

"Uh..."

Their hands were surrounded by a low flame that got higher and higher.

"Now focus on making a flame." He told her.

Lucy did her best to focus, but all she focus on was Natsu holding her hand.

 _Flame Flame Flame_ she repeated in her head.

She channeled the ethernano the best she could.

Natsu made his flame die down a bit.

Lucy inhaled and exhaled before trying again.

"This is so frustrating..." Lucy sighed.

"You'll get it." Natsu told her. He squeezed her hand reassuringly before letting go.

Lucy rubbed her hand thoughtfully. Intrigued that she was fireproof without her skin feeling or looking any different.

"Altright." Natsu grinned. He clapped his hands and fire burned up to his elbows. "Let's fire you up!"

Lucy gaped. "NO!"

Fire swept towards her, she could feel her clothes crumble as they burned off.

Lucy covered as much of herself as she could.

"What the hell?" She heard Gray mumble sleepily.

Lucy moaned.

"You're clothes aren't fireproof." Natsu said flatly.

"Lucy's naked!" Happy announced.

"Again?!." Gray knew what was best for him and turned around in his sleeping bag.

"Lucy!" Wendy gasped.

"I think that's the fastest Natsu's ever gotten her naked." Happy chuckled.

"Stardress..." Lucy's mind raced for a celestial spirit name. "Capri- Virgo!"

Her version of Virgo's maid dress appeared on her body.

"Damn it Natsu!"

"Oops." Natsu laughed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Well," Erza chimed in. "At least we know you are fireproof for sure."

Lucy gave a frustrated growl and stomped off to grab her spare clothes.

"Lucy-" Natsu called.

"Don't talk to me right now." Lucy warned, disappearing behind a huge fallen boulder.

Frustrated, Lucy punched a tree. The power boost from the star dress caused her fist to go straight through it, sending a huge chunk flying. Doing so scraped her hand up a bit.

"Ow." She extended her fingers and watched as a little blood welled up in the scrape. Lucy shook off the pain. "That's what I get for blowing up." Lucy sighed.

She looked around her to make sure she was alone and called off her stardress.

 _ **I think that's the fastest Natsu's ever gotten her naked**_

"Stupid cat." Lucy muttered, angrily sticking her foot into her shorts.

She was dressed again and headed back to her friends. Just before she was about to step out of the trees she heard something disturb the leaves above her. She looked up in time to see a man in camouflage colored clothing jumping towards her.

"Wood make, cage!" He chanted.

Lucy braced herself as the trees stretched up and around, she was imprisoned.

He brought his wrist up to his face and spoke into his watch. " Mel to Gavin, I got her."

"Open, gate of the Bull!"

"Mooo!" Taurus landed with a thud. "A wooden cage?!"

"Get me out of here please." Lucy asked of him.

"Youuu got it!" Taurus swung his axe and started chopping the wood.

"Wood Make, cage!" Mel tried again "Overload!"

More wood appeared to cover the damge being done. Through a gap in the wood work, Lucy saw a huge blast of wind sending an upburst of dirt and leaves into the air.

"Wendy." Lucy gasped.

"Stardress, Taurus." Lucy used her own battle axe to chop wood along with Taurus.

At last she busted out.

"Woodmake-"

"Lucy Kick!"

"Oooph!" Mel was sent back a couple feet, he landed hard and groaned.

Lucy stared at him in shock before taking off towards her friends.

"Wind Dragon, roar!" Wendy blew another man high into the sky.

"What's happening?" Lucy asked.

Gray and Natsu were crouched around a man frozen to the ground, Erza stood tall over him, sword drawn.

"What the hell do you want with us?" Gray demanded to know.

The man struggled to escape. "I don't speak to Western scum!"

Natsu turned and locked eyes with Lucy. He looked relieved to see her. Lucy gave him a nod and went to Wendy.

"Where did you send him off too?" Lucy asked

"I don't know!" Wendy said in a panicked voice.

"But you have no problem attacking us?" Erza laughed.

"Hmph." He growled.

Gray grabbed him by his shirt and squeezed. "Don't tou-"

"Answer the question?" Gray growled.

"No." He said defiantly.

 **Poof!** Thick, black smoke expanded around the three.

They all staggered backwards, choking on the smoke.

"Gack!" Erza coughed.

"Blegh!

"Hack hack hack!"

Gray bent over and tried to get a hold of himself.

Natsu choked, but ran through the cloud to attack.

It cleared enough that Lucy could see the man was gone.

"Oh no!" Wendy cried, looking up. The guy was falling back down."

"aaaaaaAAAAHHHH!" He screamed.

Wendy sucked in a bunch of air and then released bit by bit to slow him down as he fell. He hit the ground and gratefully grabbed the soil.

He saw the group staring at his and reached for the strap on his hip. It was empty.

"Looking for something?" Wendy asked, spinning a small gun on her finger.

He gaped at Wendy. "That's mine."

"You lost it when I sent you flying."

He smirked. "I can do that too." He held out his hand and the gun flew to him, taking Wendy with him.

"Ahhhhh!" She screamed.

"Wendy!" Carla shot after them.

All the others made a move to help save their friend.

The guy grabbed the gun and

 **Poof!**

Black smoke swallowed up the three.

They all dove for the middle.

Ooomp!

"I got him!" Gray shouted.

"Ow!" Lucy cried.

The smoke cleared and four people grappled in the dirt with eachother.

They all looked among each other. Wendy and Carl were taken.

"Carla!" Happy screeched. He shot into the air making it several hundred feet up to search.

"They're trying to take us out one by one!" Natsu growled, jumping to his feet.

Erza summoned a sword and swept around, looking for any threats.

Lucy put a hand on her whip and looked around again. "There was another guy in the forrest, he attacked me."

"Bastards." Gray growled.

"Natsu." Erza called. "Can you smell Wendy."

Natsu focused and tried to smell around. "Um.."

He turned a few times. "Yes!"

"Which way?" Lucy asked.

 **KrrrrrrrAck!**

A massive root burst out of the ground and was inches away from wrapping around Erza. With a flash Erza had cut it into twenty pieces, which all crashed to the ground.

"Where did that-" Natsu began.

Another root burst out and wrapped around his ankle before turning into hard wood.

Natsu burnt himself free in time to dodge another surprise attack.

Gray stood ready, searching the trees for the culprit.

"It's got to be the same guy." Lucy told her friends. "He's uses wood maker magic."

"Natsu, Happy." Erza shouted. "Go find Wendy, we'll handle this."

"Okay!" Happy darted over to Natsu and took off. "Which way?!"

Natsu sniffed. "Left!" They were gone.

The remaining three stood back to back.

Lucy scanned the trees, remembering that he had jumped from up above to take her by surprise.

A root burst out of the ground again, this time it spiraled up up up into the sky with the head of a snake.

"Whoa." Erza breathed, watching it turn and head straight for them.

"Ice Make, Serpent!" Gray shouted, He made a gesture with his hands and aimed them at the snakes head. An ice serpent of his own flew up to meet the snake mid air.

BAM! The noise echoed through the moutains like thunder.

Lucy covered her ears and felt something wrap around her legs. She screamed but the sound of the two colliding magics covered the sound.

She desperately clawed at the ground to pull herself free. She watched her friends prepare for another attack.

"Er-!" She tried to call but a root covered her face.

 _No. I can't go out like this._ Lucy thought. _This was too easy._

Lucy was dragged into the trees. She heard Gray shout her name.

 _Now they notice. I'm glad they didn't see me get dragged off. I want to save myself anyway._

Finally she stopped moving. The root had wrapped around her body and hardened.

This is so uncomfortable.

Lucy felt like she was in a cocoon. All she could do was wiggle her fingers and toes. She could hear more crashes in the distance. Nearby she heard footsteps.

"Your friends are strong." A young voice told her. "Mind if I sit?"

She felt weight on her ribs.

She tried to speak but the root got in her way.

 _He's really sitting on me?_ Lucy tried to break free, but it was impossible to move.

"We're trying to get the whole set, then we can leave."

 _The whole set? He must mean he's trying take us all, but for what?_

"Oh!" The guy clapped. "I can't wait to cash you in!"

"We have to deliver them first son." A new voice told the guy sitting on her, this voice sounded older than the first.

"Oh- uh yeah, right Dad." The weight on her ribs receded and she heard the jerk jump to his feet.

"We're just going to take Heartfilia, the others are too much of a hassle."

Lucy's body went cold.

 _They know my name._

"But-"

Lucy felt herself lifted off the ground. She groaned as her keys dug painfully into her side.

"Relax, we got the younger one too. That'll be more than enough."

 _Wendy._

"Okay."

"Rex to Gavin, we got Heartfilia."

In the corner of her eye she could see the son walking beside her. He was bald.

She heard two small explosions and the world went black.

At least for a second and then light sharply broke through the fading smoke.

"What the hell." Rex gasped.

Lucy saw Wendy spinning her finger in a circle. The motion had summoned a tornado. In the middle of that was the wizard who had kidnapped Wendy earlier.

Rex busted out laughing.

"He let a little girl overpower him?" Rex's son sniffed.

"There's a reason why she's made it this long on the run." Rex pointed out.

"Aren't you going to help him?"

The guy was swung around like a ragdoll.

Wendy gaped at the newcomers.

"Nah, it's a good look for him. Cocky bastard. Besides, I think you should be the one to take her down. She's your age anyway."

"I can't attack a girl!"

"Pch, you looked pretty cozy sitting on this one."

Lucy gasped as Rex bounced her up and down.

"I-"

"Don't be scared."

"I'm not!" Lucy watched as a boy, who did in fact look around Wendy's age stomped closer to Wendy. She noticed a tree tattoo on his shoulder.

"Lucy!" Wendy called, noticing Lucy's blonde hair spilling out.

Wendy released the first guy and focused on Rex and his approaching son.

"Kick his butt!" Carla ordered.

He pulled something out of his pocket and held it out towards Wendy.

Wendy frowned, confused.

POP! POP!POP!

Three explosions went off around Wendy, distracting her.

The young man took off and lunged at Wendy. He knocked her to the ground and tried to tie her wrists. Carla flew around and bit the guy on the neck.

"Ah!"

Rex laughed so hard that he bent over. Lucy saw the ground rise up to meet her.

"Errrrr!" She screamed. Rex still held onto her.

Wendy lept to her feet.

"Ow!" He jumped around and squeezed Carla, trying to rip her off.

Wendy gathered a bunch of wind and sent it spiraling up into the air and then down on top of his head.

He collapsed to the ground.

"Come on Jas." Rex called. "Get up.

"Ptuh!" Carla spat out Jas's blood and gagged.

Wendy sent more air shots at him. Jas was able to get to his feet.

He whispered an encantaion and wire shot out of his hand towards Wendy. It spun around her legs.

"Wind Dragon, wing attack!" Wendy swung her hand and knocked Jas sideways. She was able to kick off the wire.

"No Yarra!" Rex shouted as the guy sent flying by Wendy stomped out of the trees. A long rifle was pointed at Wendy.

Lucy gasped and tried again to break free. She could feel her keys digging into her side, unable to be reached.

"I'll teach the brat to make fun of me!"

"Stop!"

 **Bam!**

The gun went off and Wendy screamed as she was pushed back a few feet by the blow.

Lucy went ballistic moving as much as she could.

"Wendy!" Carla gaped at the spot on Wendy's shoulder, a little bit of blood welled up.

Wendy looked at it and then at Yarra who was glaring at Wendy with wild eyes.

Yarra snapped his fingers.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Wendy arched backwards as electricity tore through her body. The air in her lungs ran out and her mouth stayed open.

Wendy dropped to the ground.

Lucy cried out.

"You're gonna make me drop you!" Rex warned her. "She's alright, we're not gonna kill anyone today."

"I was going to take her down." Jas complained.

"Oh right!" Yarra laughed. "You were doing such a quick job of it too."

"Just tie her up already." Rex ordered, struggling to hold on to Lucy.

Lucy could hear Wendy wheezing.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Wendy screamed again.

"Stop it!" Carla screeched. "You monster!"

"If you kill her," Rex began. "We don't get paid dumbass!"

"Alright, alright." Yarra snapped.

"Tie her up Jas." Rex spat, clearly disgusted by Yarra's loss of control.

Jas walked over to Wendy and pulled out some rope.

Carla flew at Jas and tried to attack.

Jas whispered something and Carla dropped to the ground, bound in ties.

Lucy saw Wendy glow before she jumped to her feet again.

"Wind Dragon, Roar!" Wendy shouted, sending Jas all the way back into the trees.

"Moron!" Yarra screeched, lifting his hand to snap his fingers.

Wendy had already sent a blast of wind his way, sending him flying once again. Wendy didn't see where he went.

"Damn." Rex set Lucy down and walked a few steps forward.

"Wind Dragon, Roar!"

Rex said something, but the wind took his voice away. He was able to dig into the ground with a special tool.

"Wind magic, spear!" Wendy called.

Lucy was able to see the direction the blast was going due to the dirt and leaves caught up in it. It went around Rex and intstead hit the wooden shell around Lucy.

Lucy felt the wood shatter. She wasn't free yet but maybe with a little more work-

"Missed." Rex laughed, totally oblivious to Wendy's tactic.

"Carla, are you okay." Wendy reached down to pick up Carla. She pulled at the strings, trying to untie it.

Rex gave a low whistle before closing in on Wendy.

Wendy sent a couple attacks his way but he was able to stay grounded.

"What do you want with us?" Wendy asked him.

"I'm a bounty hunter." Rex grunted, withstanding another wind blast. "I've come to turn you in."

Lucy broke the wood wrapped around her rips and pushed her way out of the wood wrapped around her arms.

"You think I'm a criminal?" Wendy asked.

"I don't think anything except It's my duty to turn you in."

"I'm not even from here!" Wendy swung her arms, trying to blast him back. He did go back a few inches but he was still able to hold his own.

"You're-from Fioreeee." Rex strained to hold his ground.

Wendy went back a few steps to keep distance between them.

Lucy reached for her keys, she could feel the tie but her keys were under the wood. Lucy grapped a stone and started chipping away.

"I've done nothing wrong and neither have my friends!"

"That's what they all say."

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Wendy arched backwards again.

Lucy cringed as her friends shriek hit her ears. She squeezed the rock and hit the wood harder and harder. Ignoring the pain. Yarra had recovered and was attacking Wendy once again.

"Please." Lucy said through her teeth. She felt the wood break. Lucy dropped the rock and felt for one of her keys. Based on the feeling of the top it was Aries's key.

"Open Gate of the Lamb, Aries!"

"I'm sorry!"

"Aries, help."

Her spirit dropped to her knees and started pulling at the wood.

"Shouldn't you have called a strong spirit?"

"I did, I called you." Lucy told her.

Aries blushed, tugging at a chunk of wood.

Lucy kicked the last of the wood off her and moved her cramped muscles.

"Thanks Aries."

Aries nodded as Lucy helped the celestial spirit to her feet.

"Stardress form, Aries."

Lucy held her hand out to Aries who took it. "Wool bomb!" They shouted.

Rex cried out as a wave of wool carried him off.

Lucy and Aries ran towards Wendy.

"I'm okay...Lucy." Wendy said, tears streaming down the sides of her face.

"I saw him shoot you, and then..."

"My shoulder." Wendy choked. "He shot something into my shoulder."

Lucy looked at saw a small silver ball half way into her flesh.

"Poor kitty." Aries picked up Carla and started pulling at the binds.

Lucy inspected the ball closer.

"Pull it out Lucy." Wendy begged. "He'll do it again."

"I don't know how deep it goes."

"You have to try." Wendy panicked.

Lucy held her breath and touched the ball. It shocked her. Lucy pulled her hand back. Wendy whimpered.

"Don't worry." Lucy told her, going for the ball again. She dug her nails into it and pulled.

"Ah." Wendy tensed up.

Lucy gasped.

"Get it out!" Wendy told her.

"Lucy!" Natsu called from above.

"Wendy was shot." Lucy told him as he fell beside her.

"Who?" Natsu asked, looking around the site.

"His name is Yarra."

"Carla!" Happy flew up to where Aries was holding a wiggling Carla. Happy grabbed a hold of the binds and started knawing on them.

"I smell him." Natsu said, leaping to his feet and taking off into the forrest.

Lucy watched him disappear and then dug her nails back into the ball. Lucy jerked her arm back, taking the ball with her.

"Ah!" Wendy screeched. Blood streamed down her arm into the soil.

Lucy looked at the ball, there were two spikes on one side covered in Wendy's blood.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Lucy screamed as the current went through her. She felt her muscles freeze up, feeling like they were turning to stone. Finally it ran out of power and Lucy collapsed.

"Lucy!" Wendy shook Lucy.

"I'm-" Lucy wheezed.

 _I'm such an idiot._

Natsu ran back out of the trees and dropped next to Lucy and Wendy.

Carla was free and joined them.

"He got away." Natsu told them angrily. "I was able to get in a few hits though."

Lucy laid on the ground and groaned.

"What happened to you?" Natsu asked.

"That Yarra shot an electic bullet into Wendy." Carla said. "And electrocuted her."

"Then Lucy pulled it out, but it got her too." Wendy added. "Yarra activates it by snapping."

"Oh." Natsu said. "I was wondering what he was doing snapping his finger at me."

Lucy let herself have a few more seconds of recovery before pushing herself up. Natsu held her arm and helped her into a sitting position.

"That had to of hurt." Natsu said.

"You think?"

"I hear the others coming." Natsu said.

"Me too." Wendy said, healing her arm.

Erza then Gray burst out of the trees and joined up with the others.

"It was good to see you Miss Lucy." Aries bowed, before disappearing.

"Did you catch any of them?" Gray asked.

"No." Natsu huffed.

"What about information, were any of you able to gather any?"

"He thinks were criminals." Wendy told the others. "He also calls himself a bounty hunter."

The others stood around silently for a moment. Taking that in.

"It's like the Hungry Wolf Nights all over again." Wendy sighed.

"I'd much rather fight them." Natsu huffed. "Those guys were a real challenge."

"These guys have their own tricks." Lucy said.

"If they didn't disappear like cowards then we could find out." Gray said.

"So there is a bounty on our heads." Erza thought aloud. "Who would send bounty hunters after us?"

They all thought quietly.

"Remember that guy this morning called us Fiorian scum." Gray pointed out. "Maybe they are just angry that westerners are passing through."

"Maybe." Erza agreed. "I'd like to know how much we're worth, maybe that would give us a clue."

"There was a younger guy and his dad." Lucy said. "He was called Jas, and told me he was going to cash us in. I guess he gave up on trying to capture you guys. His dad said that Wendy and I were enough."

"Enough to make the other guy stop fighting us." Erza said thoughtfully.

"What happened to the guy who took you?" Gray asked.

"That was Yarra."

"I blackened his arm and he got away in that nasty smoke cloud."

Lucy frowned, trying not to picture Yarra's arm getting burned.

"Do you think they'll come back?" Wendy asked.

"Probably." Gray said. "Especially if two of us alone are enough jewel to set someone up for life."

"Let's get going then." Erza decided. "One more night then we'll be walking into Bellum."

"Are you two okay to walk?" Gray asked.

Lucy and Wendy inspected themselves.

"I'm good, are you Lucy."

Lucy looked at her hands, skinned up a bit from the rock. "Yeah."

Wendy wrapped her hands around Lucy's and healed them up. "Thanks."

"We're still going on knowing that we're being chased?" Carla asked.

"Ha!" Natsu laughed. "We can take them, it's a warm up for the real deal when we get to the treasure."

"Yeah." Lucy agreed.

"Time to get back on track." Gray clapped his hands together.

"Do we have everything?" Wendy asked.

"Yep." Erza confirmed. "All set."

Erza pulled out her compass and led the group back to the right path. They barely spoke, giving their attention to their surroundings. Watching and waiting for any signs of danger.

-0-

Several hours passed and they had begun to relax a little. Happy was the first to laugh, then Natsu and then the rest of them eventually. It was a cloudy day and far in the east there was a few isolated rain showers. Lucy had bothered to try and conjure a flame here and there.

"One more night, then we can sleep in a bed." Erza sighed.

"Going soft, Titania?" Gray shot at Erza.

Erza laughed. "Call it want you want."

"I'm going to try and not to think about a hot bath." Lucy muttered. She was used to taking one at least once a day.

"Even I could go for a hot bath." Natsu admitted.

"Aye." Agreed Happy.

Lucy sighed.

"One more night." Wendy repeated.

"I'm surprised Juvia hasn't called me." Gray said, looking at his communication Lacrima.

"That's a good thing, right?" Wendy asked.

"Yeah." Gray said, slipping it back into his pocket. "Means she's enjoying herself."

Lucy looked at Gray and sensed that he was missing Juvia. They were a long ways from returning home. It was a century quest after all.

-0-

They had begun to walk up a high hill.

"This is painful." Gray sighed.

"Yeah." Lucy agreed, her legs were beginning to ache.

"Happy." Natsu called in a strained voice. "Give me a lift to the top."

"No fair." Gray grumbled.

"Aye sir." Happy and Natsu took off.

"We'll stay put." Wendy promised.

"A small hill is nothing to complain about." Erza said tightly.

"Your legs hurt too." Gray shot back.

"I will not be made a fool of." Erza took off running up the hill.

"What is she trying to prove?" Carla asked.

"No clue." Lucy breathed, wondering if one of her spirits could give her a lift to the top.

"Guys." Natsu shouted down at them. "You need to see this."

"What?" Gray shouted back.

"There's a town on fire!"

"What?" Lucy and the others put it into high gear and scaled the rest of the hill.

When she made it over Lucy quickly spotted the rising smoke.

A couple miles away, Lucy could see several homes and buildings scattered along the side of the hill. The smoke went all the way up into the clouds.

"I'm gonna go see if they need help." Natsu said, taking off with Happy.

"Us too Wendy." Carla said, grabbing a hold of her.

"Right." They were off.

The others made their way slowly, but surely to the village. They ran towards the center. Lucy didn't see a single person.

"Hello?" She called out.

"Are there any surviors?!" Erza called.

"Do you think they're all-" Gray asked.

"I can feel their pressence." Erza said. "This way."

They got closer to the smoke.

"It smells awful." Lucy commented.

They turned a corner and found a bunch of people gathered around Wendy.

"She's healing them." Lucy observed.

The three pushed through to Wendy.

"Who did this?" Erza asked.

"Joyans." A man told her. "This is the third time this year!"

"Why?" Gray asked.

"Their a bunch of assholes that's why!" A boy shouted.

"Easy boy."

"I'm sick of them, this is our village."

"Our country." Another voice added.

"Yeah, they're trying to force us out."

"Territory war?" Gray asked.

"Duh."

"For the last forty years, ever since this land was claimed by Iceburg, Joyan ruffians have harrassed us." An old man told them.

"Their Prince instigates it!" A voice called.

Lucy listened to the villagers explain their situation. The village itself was occupied by immigrants from the Pergrande Kingdom that had fled to practice their own beliefs. They were protected when Stella claimed the land, but after the earlier territory wars the land was claimed by Joya, and now Iceburg. The Joyan's goal was to weaken the cities and villages in the surrounding area so that the Prince of Joya and his men could reclaim the territory.

"They are trying to hide the fact that Prince William is the one leading the attacks." A woman explained.

"In fact, Prince William advocates for peace openly." Another person added. "Otherwise the other governments might try and stop him."

"What about your parliment?" Gray asked, eventhough he really didn't know much about them.

An old man spat. "They don't give a damn about us."

"We have to protect ourselves." A teenager said proudly.

"Yeah!" They shouted.

"Thanks to your friends." A man told them. "We got the fire put out and our wounded are being healed."

Happy dropped Natsu down beside her. He rubbed his stomach. "I'm full."

"You ate the fire?" Lucy asked.

Natsu burped in response. "Yep."

"Where are your manners!" A man asked of Natsu.

Two good looking men stepped forward. One grabbed Lucy's hand and the other grabbed Lucy's.

"I am Paul."

"I am Dean"

They kissed the hands in theirs.

"Such beauty." Said Dean.

"Your wish is my command." Said Paul.

"Shall I take thee away from this brute?" Dean asked Erza.

"I've lived with that brute for as long as I can remember." Erza told him, taking her hand back.

"Hey!" Natsu said.

Lucy laughed, taking her own hand back.

"When shall we begin rebuilding?" Erza asked.

"You would help us rebuild?" An old man asked.

"Of course." Gray said.

"I've never heard of caring Westerners before." He said.

"What makes you say that?" Natsu asked.

"Everyone knows the West keeps to themselves."

"Maybe so," Erza said. "But not because we don't care."

"We have our own wars." Gray defended.

"That's right," A man agreed. "Word of last years war reached us."

"With the Dragons and Demons."

"Was it the Demon Sundas?" A little boy asked. "Seeking vengence for his murdured village?"

"No Bobby." The kid's sister said. "That's just a story."

"Any way." An older man said to the group. "We appreciate the help, but our village will take care of itself."

"We could have the village as good as new in a week." Erza argued.

"That's three less weeks than we could manage." A woman shrugged.

"It's not safe." A man argued. "What if they come back."

"Then we'll knock em out." Natsu told him, holding up a fist. "I've got enough fire in my belly to take them all out."

A group of girls giggled as they eyed Natsu.

"You ladies can stay at Mabel's."

"My children are married and gone." She told them. "I have two extra beds and one of you can sleep on the couch."

"Thank you." Lucy said.

"You boys can stay at my place." Dean offered.

Gray and Natsu nodded.

"Let's start clearing out the damage." A man directed. "All wounded report to this young lady to be healed and then join the others."

They spent the rest of the day cleaning up the mess that Joya had made. Natsu, Lucy and her spirits helped clear it outside of the village. Her newly acquired fireproof skill allowed her to touch the burnt rubble. Erza helped write out plans for a new wing of the town hall that they had to tear down due to the damage. Gray used his ice to put up support beams to hold up buildings on the verge of collapse. They worked hard until nightfall.

Mabel had cooked a small meal for the seven of them.

"Thanks for the meal." Natsu said between bites.

"Thank you for your help." Mabel said back.

"So this happened twice before?" Erza asked.

"This year." Mabel's Husband Uriah told them. "We are constantly rebuilding. If our farms weren't behind the village we would really be in trouble."

"How are you going to defend yourselves?" Gray asked.

"We have our own gang of wizards that are able to send them running, you met Dean and Paul."

"Oh yeah." Lucy laughed.

"But," Mabel began. "They send more and more ruffians each time."

"Nothing our boys can't handle." Uriah laughed.

Mable frowned and took a bite of her stew.

"I wish we could help more." Erza said sadly.

"Nonsense." Mable soothed. "You're giving us more time to heal and prepare."

"Maybe we could chase these guys down." Natsu suggested.

"They couldn't have gone far." Gray reasoned.

"That's a bad idea." Uriah said. "Unless you mean to slit their thoats while they sleep."

"Uh..." Natsu and Gray gaped.

"Otherwise you'd only give them an excuse to come back with a vengence."

"You're right." Erza said. "We'll help out rebuilding and then we must be on our way."

"What brought you this way?" Uriah asked.

"We're traveling to Bellum." Erza explained. "For sightseeing purposes."

"I'm amazed you got this far." Mabel said. "Three young lady's as beautiful as you are-"

"Bosco?" Erza asked flatly.

"Yeah."

"I can't believe how serious that is, we here about Bosco everywhere we go." Lucy said.

"It's because of Bosco I met Lucy." Natsu told them. "One of the guys was trying to lure a bunch of girls onto a ship."

"Juvia's ex boyfriend." Happy said.

"Borra." Gray growled.

"One of the girls was Lucy." Natsu finished.

"We met before that." Lucy corrected. "Borra used a charm to attract me to him and you broke it when you stepped in."

Natsu frowned trying to remember.

"How long have you been together?" Mabel asked.

Lucy wondered if Mabel meant together or 'together'.

"Me and Lucy or all of us?" Natsu asked.

"You and Lucy." Happy smirked.

"Three years or so."

Lucy stuffed her face with another bite.

"Ten years." Happy corrected.

"If you count Tenrou Island." Natsu shrugged.

"Wow." Mable smiled. "Congratulations on making it so long."

"And you're not married?" Uriah frowned. "I wouldn't let my daughter spend so much as three minutes alone with her husband before they were married."

Lucy made herself busy chewing.

"What does your father have to say about that?"

Natsu looked at Lucy, who covered her mouth.

"Her father sent a whole guild to bring Lucy back." Natsu beamed.

"But you stopped him?" Mabel asked.

"Of course." Natsu said. "He challenged the entire guild, and I fought them head on."

"How romantic." Mable grinned.

Lucy chugged her water.

Gray and Erza gave eachother a look of amusement.

"Romantic?" Natsu echoed.

"Luckily we never had trouble like that." Uriah laughed.

Lucy felt Natsu look at her, so she closed her eyes and kept sipping her water.

To Lucy's relief the conversation changed and after dinner ended Uriah walked the boys off to Dean's place.

They all laid in bed, Erza had her own. Wendy shared the bed with Wendy as they didn't want to be seperated. They all felt uneasy enough not being under the same roof as Natsu, Happy and Gray.

"You know." Wendy said beside Lucy. "It does sound pretty romantic, how Natsu fought off a guild to keep you from your father."

Lucy sighed. "That statement is missing a lot of information, the whole guild got in the way. Mirajane even pretended to be me."

"True, true." Erza chided in.

Lucy remembered jumping out of a tower, with full confidence that Natsu would be there to catch her. He was too.

"I'm glad we're staying to help out." Wendy said.

"Me too." Erza agreed. "It's like a side quest."

"Yeah." Wendy smiled, snuggling into her bed.

"Having a bed to sleep in is all the reward I need." Lucy sighed.

"Agreed."

"Erza, what if those bounty hunters track us here?" Wendy asked.

"Then we'll fight them." Erza answered, matter of fact.

"They won't take us again." Lucy promised.

"I hope the boys are doing okay." Erza sighed.

-0-

A few streets down Natsu and Gray laid on either side of a sectional couch with a blanket and pillow.

"What's wrong with her?" Dean asked.

"With who?" Gray muttered, wanting nothing else but to sleep.

"Lucy."

"She's a hothead, but I wouldn't say there's something wrong with her." Gray said. "Why do you care."

"You said you weren't dating her."

"So, I have a girlfriend."

"Oh, so then you're dating her?" He asked Natsu.

"No one is dating her." Gray sighed, wanting to tell Dean to go away. He didn't want to seem rude so he kept quiet.

"I don't understand, she's hot!"

Natsu, Happy and Gray groaned.

-0-

Lucy's eyes snapped open.

 _He watched me undress!_

Lucy's mind was wandering through the days events, including Natsu burning her clothes off. She thought of the wood maker magic wizard jumping down at her after she had gotten dressed. He was watching her from above the whole time.

"No." Lucy groaned.

"What's wrong?" Wendy asked.

"Nothing, goodnight." Lucy tossed and turned, eventually falling asleep.

 _"Natsu!" Lucy had jumped from a ledge and the ground rushed to meet her._

 _She felt Natsu grab her and they tumbled on to the ground. Lucy was on her back and Natsu sat up and leaned over her._

 _"Still falling for me?" Natsu asked, sliding his hand around her waist and looking down at her._

 _"I knew you'd catch me." Lucy said._

 _Natsu grinned, pulling Lucy up. Lucy looked into his eyes, so dark you couldn't see his pupils._

 _"You put too much faith in me." Natsu told her._

 _Even in a dream Lucy could feel how warm he was._

 _"Because I believe in you." She said, looking up at him._

 _He leaned in to kiss her._

Lucy blinked and stared at the wall opposite her.

 _Why do I always wake up at the best part of a dream!_

Lucy rolled over and tried to fall back asleep, to continue the dream. Light came in through the window, telling Lucy it was morning. She could smell food cooking.

 _Time to get up._

Lucy reluctantly rolled out of bed to shower. They figured two more days, then it was back to the Century Quest.

* * *

 **Thank you for the Reviews, Favorites and Follows. They put wind in my sails 3**

 **-Lemon-Moon**


	9. Rebuilding Cyrene Pt 1

On day five, Lucy and Natsu worked from dusk till dawn moving wood and brick as well as other supplies while her friends helped out in other areas. She got to know a handful of people and learned a bit about their heritage and culture.

Basically the villagers practiced a non magical life style. The people of Cyrene believed that magic use was frowned upon by their faith's founder, Albrax. Lucy and her friends used their magic less and less every day, not wanting to be disrespectful of the non-magic culture. The villagers were mostly tolerant of The Group's magic usage, but there were always some dirty looks thrown their way.

Another difference was modesty among the women. Mabel had lent the girls looser fitting clothes so they'd blend in better. Lucy kept her complaints to herself, but not showing any skin below the neck was a pain. Mostly due to how hot it was outside. Lucy couldn't remember the last time she had even worn pants, much less jeans...

At first Dean had followed Lucy around like a shadow, trying to lift everything for her and shower her with compliments. Lucy tried her best to tolerate it, not wanting to be rude. Dean and his brother Paul were among the toughest men of the village. Together they shared a reputation for their brute strength and ability. They both had dark chocolate hair that Paul kept in shoulder length braid, whereas Dean kept his cut neatly at his ears. As if being strong wasn't enough to intimidate others, both brothers towered over most of the others.

Lucy had managed to carry a bag of cement six feet forward before Dean swept to her side.

"Oh sweetheart, allow me." He insisted.

"I can handle it, really."

Dean tried to take it from her. "Leave the heavy lifting to the men, dear."

Lucy let go, and sighed. "Thanks."

"My pleasure."

Natsu carried two bags of cement on his shoulder. "You could carry that no problem...Can I have a drink?" He pointed at the canteen hanging at Lucy's side.

"I know." Lucy unscrewed the cap and handed the canteen to Natsu. "He won't listen to me, he's treating me like I'm helpless."

Natsu took four long chugs of water and then passed it back. He used the back of his hand to wipe away water that had ran down his face.

Lucy wiped of the mouth of the canteen before taking two long drinks herself.

Natsu's face darkened as a plan formed. "You just need to show him how tough you are."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "How do I do that?" She screwed the cap back on her canteen and hung it back on her shoulder.

"Challenge him to a fight. One minute in and he'll know better than to underestimate ya."

"I don't know about that." Lucy said, flattered none the less.

"You can't just let him walk all over you."

Lucy stared at Natsu for a second. She didn't feel like she was letting Dean walk all over her. Also, hearing those words from Natsu made her feel like a child being lectured. It was annoying that Dean was being intrusive, but if it pleased the guy that much to help her out then did she really need to take it that seriously?

"Next time he tries to take something from you, knock him out."

Lucy chuckled, amused by how ready he was to fight at a moment's notice. "Chill, not everything calls for a fight."

Natsu frowned, wiping away Lucy's amusement. He ran his fingers through his damp hair and rested his hand on the back of his head. Still holding the bags of cement on his other shoulder. "I was just suggesting..."

She quickly reached out her hand and touched his elbow apologetically. "I appreciate your concern." She smiled up at him, trying to read his expression. "I'll tell him to shove off next time."

Natsu sighed and dropped his arm back to his side, as did Lucy. She saw his eyes soften at her sincerity, and she was able to breathe normally again.

"Here." Natsu shrugged a bag of cement off his shoulder into Lucy's waiting arms. The weight nearly drug her down, but she quickly straightened up.

"Thanks." Lucy said. This would be the fourth bag of concrete she'd manage to sneak by Dean.

"Yep." Together they went to drop them off and when they came back for more Dean tried to take the bag out of Lucy's hands once again.

"No Dean, I'll carry it myself. Thank you." She tried to keep her voice stern, but polite. She saw Natsu give a nod of approval in the corner of her eye.

"You're too pretty-"

"-That's very nice of you to say so, but I can still manage." Lucy tried to manuver around him, but he still insisted.

He shook his head and put a hand on her shoulder. "Now Beautiful, You shouldn't-"

"There's more to Lucy than her looks." Natsu stepped in.

Dean turned and faced Natsu. "I know that."

"Then you should stop treating her like she can't handle her own business."

Dean laughed and stepped back. "I'm merely trying to lend a hand to the fair lady."

"She doesn't want it."

"That's what you think." Dean puffed out his chest and laughed from his gut. "No woman can resist the aid of a rugged gentleman such as myself."

Lucy opened her mouth to speak. "I-"

"You ignore Lucy every time she tries."

Dean frowned, having no recollection of being resisted. Finally he chuckled. "I see."

"See what?" Natsu asked.

"You want her for yourself."

"Lucy ain't a possesion." Natsu growled at Dean, who was pushing back his sleeves.

"Well," Dean boomed. "I guess we'll just have to fight for her hand!"

"That's ridiculous!" Lucy protested.

"Screw that!" Natsu sputtered. "I'll fight you just because you're annoying!"

"I let you into my home-"

"What's that got to do with anything?"

People had begun to stop what they were doing to stare.

"Please stop fighting." Lucy begged.

Dean and Natsu glared at each other, waiting for the other to make a move.

Natsu broke the staring contest to look at Lucy and then went back to Dean. Lucy watched his expression lighten up a bit. "Come on Lucy, we have work to do."

Dean looked at Lucy. "You're going to choose this ruffian over me, a gentleman?"

Lucy gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry if you got the wrong idea, but I don't need help. I can handle moving things on my own. I appreciate the effort, but it's not necessary."

Dean used his ears for the first time in four days. He released the breath he was holding and looked at the ground. "I understand." He said. Dean nodded at Natsu and grabbed a few bags of concrete before walking away.

Lucy bit her lip, hoping Dean would be okay.

"Alright!" Natsu barked. "Break time is over Heartfilia!"

Lucy jumped at his out burst. "I wasn't taking a break!"

"Looks like your standing around to me, catch." Natsu tossed a bag of concrete her way.

"Oomph!" The bag knocked a bit of wind from her lungs.

"Let's go." He said, picking up three.

"Aye sir." Lucy rasped, stumbling after him.

 **-0-**

"Thanks to our Western friends and our very own citzens," The town elder, Florian, addressed the village. "I believe that this time tomorrow our village will be good as new, if not better."

"Yay!" Lucy cheered with the others.

"Let's all go home and get a good nights rest. I want to see everyone gathered here at dawn, ready to bring the reconstruction of Cyrene to an close."

Cyrene was the name of the Village in Iceburg and it was also the name of the city in the Pergrande Kingdom that all of the older generation had migrated from when they were children.

Lucy stood for a moment, taking in the sunset. The setting sun had set the clouds ablaze, lining them with molten reds and oranges.

Citizens wove in and out between each other, meeting up with their friends and kin to call it a night.

"Whatcha looking at, Lucy?" Happy asked, flapping his wings beside her.

Lucy blinked like Happy had snapped her out of a spell. "The sunset."

Happy looked ahead with her. "Wow."

"It's going to rain." Wendy told her.

"Good thing we covered up everything with tarps." Lucy spoke, still entranced by the brilliant sunset.

"Hey Lucy," Dean stepped up to Lucy with a meek look on his face. "I'm sorry for earlier. I didn't mean to offend you."

The sincerity of his apology was apparent. "I'm a lot more independent than I look."

Happy took to the air, most likely to find Natsu.

Lucy watched Happy shrink in the distance.

"We could really use a wizard like you to help defend the village."

"I thought Cyrene didn't use magic?"

"We don't, but we ought to sometimes."

"Doesn't that go against your beliefs."

Dean grinned nervously. "Some of us newer generation don't take the written scripts as seriously. I for one lean towards magic use."

Lucy felt as though she needed to tread lightly, not wanting to get into a heated debate.

"What would you like to use it for?" She asked, walking the fence.

Dean twisted his mouth in thought. "Well, defense for one..."

"Right, to fend off the Joyans."

"Yeah, and to yield more crops."

"Garden magic, that'd be cool."

"Right?" Dean's eyes lit up. Lucy could guess that Dean was often shut down for his ideals.

Dean looked around at the nearby people, probably to make sure no one was listening. Everyone seemed to be busy getting home and/ or a part of a conversation.

Lucy asked. "Has Cyrene leaned towards magic use any?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "The Elders are too strict of Albraxists to allow it, which is ridiculous because Albrax doesn't even really say magic should be avoided. You can interpret his texts that way, but in my opinion his intentions are to not let magic control your life or corrupt you."

"Moderation?"

"Exactly. Using it for good and necessary use. Protection even."

Lucy noted how his tone and personality had changed from pushy and loud to casual and easy going.

They talked for a while longer, Wendy had long since left to join the others. Once the sun went down Lucy had agreed to let Dean walk her to Mabel's house. Ever since Yano Lucy really didn't care to walk by herself, even with how powerful she was.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow." Lucy said, taking a step towards the front door. She could see her friends sitting around the kitchen table through Mabel's thin white curtains.

"I heard that the Elders are planning a celebration for tomorrow night." Dean said happily.

"Oh really?" Lucy said, turning a foot towards the door.

"Yeah, we usually only have three a year. So it's a pretty huge rumor."

"What are they like?" Lucy asked, intrigued.

"Music, dancing, a lot of proposals tend to happen at these...you'll get a few for sure."

Lucy mouth opened a bit. "Marriage proposals?"

"It's mostly guys that get them from girls though. Parents push their kids to give out as many proposals as possible."

"Are they forced to?"

Dean tilted his head left to right. "They're enouraged to, some more strongly than others."

"But it's still their choice in the end?"

"Again, it depends on the family."

"How will I know when...someone's 'proposing'?

"You'll get a bracelet with a family's colors." He explained. "This is mine." He held his wrist out and showed her a red and black bracelet. It was a mostly black bracelet with three red lines spaced out horizontaly."

"Do you only have one bracelet?" Lucy asked. "To give I mean."

Dean chuckled. "No, you have as many as you can make. I've only made two bracelets. I gave one to a girl last year, but she chose someone else."

"Ah." Lucy said sympathetically. Knowing he may of have had his heart broken gave Dean a more down to earth persona. On the other hand, She began to worry that she would be receiving the second proposal tomorrow.

Tactfully she replied. "Well, hopefully no one wastes a bracelet on me or the others tomorrow."

Dean's stony expression answered her fear well enough.

Lucy continued. "None of us are looking to settle down anytime soon."

The sound of Mabel's front door cracking open stole their attention. Mabel herself took a step onto the porch. Her brown, graying hair was fashioned in a braid that ran down the side of her face.

"Dinner is ready." She told Lucy. "Dean, you're always welcome at my table."

"Thank you Mabel, but I was just telling Lucy goodnight." He bowed at Lucy who in turn smiled at him awkwardly.

"Goodnight." Lucy nodded, turning towards the house to go in.

Walking in the door, Lucy was met with the aroma of beef stew. She could smell the salty beef and the boiled veggies. Her stomach cried out in antcipation.

"About time." Gray jested, dipping his roll into the broth.

"Sorry," Lucy apologized as she pulled out a chair to sit in. Mabel and Uriah once had a big family, three sons and two daughters. They were all married and moved out now.

"Dean's a chatty one." Mabel chattered. "I thought I'd better go and rescue you."

"He was telling me about a celebration tomorrow night." Lucy filled them in.

Erza said. "Sounds like a good way to end our time here."

Mabel looked at Uriah with uncertainty. "I don't know about that, we usually have only two or three a year."

"Celebrating what?" Natsu asked.

Mabel set an empty white bowl in front of Lucy and filled it with stew. They had insisted on serving themselves at first, but Mabel explained that it was custom for the wife or eldest daughter to serve guests in their own home.

"Thank you," Said Lucy to Mabel. "Finishing the reconstruction?" She guessed.

"Rolls?" Mable offered Lucy a bowl with three dinner rolls left in it.

"Sure." Lucy took two, one for Natsu. "Thank you."

"I'm all for a celebration!" Natsu cheered. "Is there food?"

"No." Mabel laughed, beginning to scoop more soup into her husband's bowl. "We'll eat beforehand."

Lucy stirred the soup with her spoon. On a seperate napkin she began to pick out the carrots.

"What do we wear?" Wendy asked.

"It's not likely a formal celebration." Mabel explained as she lowered herself back in her seat. "Our children left behind clothes that each of you can look through."

Lucy offered her napkin to Natsu.

Natsu looked at the pile of carrots thoughtfully for about a half second and then moved his bowl over so Lucy could dump the pile in.

"Tomorrow is going to be a good day." Uriah promised. "We should finish building later in the afternoon, clean up, go home and after supper we'll gather in the Square."

"If there is a celebration." Mabel reminded him.

"If we're hearing rumors about a celebration then there will be a celebration." Uriah reasoned. "Besides, I want to dance with my grandkids."

Mabel smiled warmly. "Yeah, me too."

"So dancing and what else?" Wendy asked.

"Uh, just mingling." Mabel answered. "The men will probably play card games."

"We don't have anymore kids to marry off," Uriah smirked. "So these celebrations have gotten pretty tame of late."

Mabel nodded in agreement. "Celebrations are the perfect time for unmarried guys and girls to propose to eachother."

"Our Daughter Sue was the last to go." Uriah said. "She sure did get the most proposals out of all our kids."

"Including that Dean." Mabel added.

Lucy blinked, remembering Dean had told her about proposing to only one other girl.

"She turned him down?" Lucy asked, already knowing the answer.

"Turned him down so fast his head is still spinning." Uriah boomed. "Don't see why he'd care, he's proposed to so many women...I don't even think he makes his own proposal gifts. He has the time, but I doubt he has the energy."

"Proposal gifts are bracelets," Mabel explained. "We use specific colors and designs to represent our families."

Lucy looked at Mabel and narrowed her eyes. Could Dean have really lied about something so small.

"Why does he propose to so many?" Gray asked.

"I don't know why." Uriah shrugged. "Even if a girl accepts the proposal, He never follows through."

"He really just likes to chase." Mabel finished.

Lucy picked at her soup.

 _That's all I am to him, is a girl to chase?_

Air went through Lucy's nose in a puff, a subtle dark laugh.

 _Meh, what do I care anyway._

"I wouldn't let Sue marry him, even if she wanted too." Uriah swore. "Hardly works except to step in when Joyans cross the line-"

"-Which we appreciate," Mabel clarified. "But other than that he is known to depend on his brother, Paul."

"I offered him a job cleaning sewers with me and my youngest son...showed up once."

Lucy half listened to their hosts, she was still bothered by the newly learned facts.

"You girls better be careful." Uriah smirked. "There's been a lot of talk among the young men about snagging a foreign wife."

"I'm too young to be married!" Wendy protested.

"The bracelet ritual is more of an early on kind of thing." Mabel explained. "I wore Uriah's bracelet for what...two years?"

"Lost it twice too."

"Oh!" Mabel swatted at Uriah. "I always found it."

"You boys better look out too." Uriah warned. "There's more girls in this village, pretty ones too."

"I already have a girlfriend." Gray said quickly.

"You better stay at his side." Mabel warned Lucy, nodding towards Natsu.

Lucy and Natsu exchanged a quick glance. Natsu looked at her with his black eyes, smiling with amusement. Lucy smiled back before looking back at her bowl.

"So how did proposals become such a big deal?" Erza asked, her empty bowl was scooted a few inches away from her.

"It gives young adults the opportunity to choose their own partner in life." Mabel answered. "Albrax teaches that having a life partner brings balance to one's life. They have someone to share the workload with. Someone you can rely on that also depends on you. Albrax teaches that a marriage isn't something to be arranged, so we choose our partners for ourselves."

"Why bracelets?" Gray asked.

"There are many rivers in the Pergrande Kingdom." Uriah explained. "The early Cyrenese were quite poor compared to other areas, so many of the young ones would use the reeds and tall grass growing on the river bed to fashion into bracelets. It became a personal way to show interest. Around three hundred years ago we became a trade hub for colorful threads and eventually the bracelets were made with that instead."

"It's a tradtion now." Mabel stood to start gathering dishes.

"Are you going to eat that?" Natsu nodded at the extra roll Lucy had saved. Gray had taken the last roll from the bowl.

"Nope." Lucy passed it to him.

He pinched off a piece to soak up juice with.

Lucy noticed Wendy holding Carla in her arms, the exceed was out cold.

"Awe." Lucy sighed.

Wendy smiled and looked down at her dearest friend. "She did a lot of flying today, Happy too."

The two exceeds had spent the days passing along messages and small items.

"I'm pooped." Happy muttered sluggishly.

"Tomorrow is going to be a good day." Erza grinned. "I can't wait to see my building plans come to life."

"Good thing our guild hall has gone down enough times to give you experience with that sort of thing." Gray commented.

"No kidding." Erza replied.

"That's where you wizards meet?" Uriah asked.

"Yeah," Natsu confirmed. "It's where we eat and find quests."

"They're very necessary for a functioning wizard's guild." Said Erza.

Lucy wanted to keep the bites of stew going, despite the tightness in her stomach. It was nice to take a break from eating fish and sandwhiches. She allowed one more bite before pushing the bowl away. The group got up to help Mabel clean.

Lucy and Wendy scraped out the dishes and washed them while Happy dried and Mabel put them in their proper spots. Gray and Natsu wiped down the dining area and took out the trash. Uriah had gone to get ready for bed. His day started earlier than theirs since he was needed to check plumbing.

They hung out for a while longer in Mable's living room before the boys parted ways.

"I hope they'll have a celebration tomorrow." Wendy said. She had her hair parted down the middle, brushing out both sides before bed. "I made a few friends with the others, I'd love to have more time to get to know them"

"Uriah sure thinks so." Erza murmured sleepily. She was laying on her stomach with her arms wrapped around a pillow.

Lucy was grooming her nails real quick before bed, she herself was too tired to give them too much attention. She just snipped enough of the top so they weren't too long.

 **Tap tap tap**

The three girls looked up from what they were doing, wondering what the noise was.

 **Tap tap tap**

Lucy followed the sound to the window.

"It's probably the boys." Erza mumbled.

Lucy put her manicure set aside and sneaked over to the window. She lifted the curtain aside to peek out.

"Let us in." She heard Gray say in a hushed tone.

Lucy reached over Erza and turned the lamp off, then went back to open the window.

"Here." Gray handed a load of his things through to Lucy, who set it down beside her. Then came Natsu's things.

"What happened." Lucy asked.

"Ask Natsu." Happy griped in a tired voice. He flew in the window and landed on the bed with Wendy.

"Yeah." Gray agreed, pulling himself in the window.

Next came Natsu, neither of the guys were wearing shirts.

"You didn't have time to get dressed?" Lucy asked, trying not to stare.

"We just grabbed our things and left."

"So how did you manage to get kicked out?" Erza rumbled.

Natsu unrolled his mat on the floor. "Who cares, we only have one night left."

Gray gave Erza a look loaded with a hidden explanation. Erza tilted her head as it was deciphered.

Lucy and Wendy gave each other confused looks of their own.

"Let's get some rest." Erza snuggled her face back into her pillow, scarlet hair pooled on her bed like blood.

Amusement still radiated from Gray, but he followed Natsu's lead, laying down on the floor.

The question still hung in the air as to why the boys were kicked out, but Lucy threw in the towel. She'd find out eventually.

 **-0-**

One by one Lucy set Cancer on each of her friends hair. The celestial wizard worked his magic, making each of them look well groomed and lovely. Gray's hair needed it the most, his bangs had begun to cover his eyes.

"Thanks Cancer." Lucy said, helplessly running her hands through her soft and shiny locks.

"No problem, Baby." With a salute, Cancer returned to the celestial world.

Wendy twirled back and forth in a light blue shirt dress. "I like this."

Lucy and Erza wore knee length skirts with a white button up blouse tucked in.

"I feel so-." Lucy began, looking at her reflection in the floor length mirror.

"Prudish?" Erza finished.

"Yeah." The skirt was pretty enough. White with blue roses. Erza's skirt was a light purple with a darker purple hem.

The boys wore khaki slacks and button up shirts.

"Its too hot for this." Gray sighed, unbuttoning the his collar.

Lucy herself felt sweat pooling around her body. "It'd be nice if being fireproof came with not sweating."

"I think we sweat more actually." Natsu said, unbuttoning his shirt all the way down.

Lucy thought about all the 'pretty' girls that would be dancing around, proposing to guys. She wondered if Gray had mentioned that to Juvia. Lucy could imagine Juvia's 'love rival' senses were tingling about now.

 _I know the feeling_. She thought, thinking about how attractive Natsu looked right about now. Hair neatly cut, well dressed with an open shirt.

The idea of sharing a specific feeling with Juvia took her way her from her previous distraction.

"Oh no." Lucy hissed under breath. She so did not want to be on the same level as Juvia.

There were two soft knocks on the door. The group held their breath. Mabel wasn't aware that Natsu and Gray had stayed over and their things were still on the floor. They ate dinner together, but Mabel assumed Natsu and Gray went back to Dean's. Uriah was fine with the guys staying to hang out, but not staying the night. The older man believed that it wasn't proper to have other men unsupervised under his roof.

The idea of disobeying their hosts wishes didn't settle too well with Lucy or the others. However, neither did letting her guild mates sleep out in the rain last night.

"Girls, Uriah and I are leaving now." Mabel's voice came through the door.

"Okay," Erza responded, rubbing her hands nervously.

"We'll be there soon."

"Have you heard from the boys?" She asked.

"Yeah." Lucy responded, "They're waiting for us." She looked at Erza to make sure she didn't say anthing wrong.

Erza nodded slowly.

"Okay." Mabel said back, most likely turning to leave.

"Let's wait five minutes." Erza suggested.

Lucy looked back in the mirror for touch ups. She kept her makeup neutral, nothing too flashy. It was the first time she had put any on in days. She ran her eyes down her curves, deciding that despite being covered up she still looked sinfully hot. It wasn't her fault though.

"You're still not ready Lucy?" Natsu asked, he layed back on her bed with his legs hanging off.

"It takes Lucy at least five hours to get ready." Happy sighed.

"Eh," Natsu rebuttled. "More like two and a half."

Lucy rolled her eyes, applying on more lip gloss. "Trust me, I'd love to be able to throw on pants and a shirt and look good but It's not that simple."

"Girl life is not for me." Gray said, combing his hair again.

"Whatever." Natsu mused. "You've spent nearly as much time getting ready as Lucy."

"Did not." Gray argued.

"Did so, you're still holding that." Natsu pointed at the comb.

Gray rolled his eyes.

"Nothing wrong with grooming yourself." Erza put out there.

"Exactly." Gray said, giving Natsu a pointed look.

"I groom!"

"On occasion." Gray corrected.

"I guess that's about right." Natsu shrugged.

"You've always lived like a wild animal Natsu." Erza commented.

"Exactly."

By the time Lucy put up her things Erza led them outside. In Mabel and Uriah's front yard two flags waved from a tall pole in the ground. Up top was the Two-toned blue and white flag of Iceburg and underneath that was the sun worn Cyrenese flag, two standing black horses touching hooves over an olive branch on a faded red field. Their host's flag had a noticeable line zig zagging from the top left to bottom right corner. Uriah's great grandmother had stitched it back together for a reason Lucy had forgot.

The strumming of guitars and rhythm of tiny drums moved the Cyrenese people in the center of the town square that was lit with lanterns and torches.

There were tables set up on the edges where people gathered to converse. Several tables were filled with men only, nose deep in a game of cards.

A group of teens waved to get Wendy's attention.

"Uh," Wendy said. "I'll catch up with you guys later."

"Leaving us?" Natsu gasped.

"It's not cool to hang out with your big brothers, huh?" Gray teased.

Wendy's mouth hung open, worried she had offened her friends.

"They're joking." Carla told her.

"Oh." Wendy sighed.

"Have fun." Lucy called.

"Behave!" Gray called after her.

Wendy nodded and headed over to her new friends.

"She's the most behave out of all of us." Erza rolled her eyes.

"I'm going with Carla." Happy said, flying after her.

They had barely arrived and Paul was the first to approach them. "May I have this dance?" He asked Erza.

"But of course." She bowed.

Together they headed to the edge of the dancers.

"I wonder if Dean is here?" Gray asked, practically reading Lucy's thought aloud.

"What happened last night?" Lucy asked.

Her friends tensed as if on cue. No one spoke.

"Gray." She looked deep into his eyes. "I want to know."

Gray looked back at Lucy as he fumbled with the decison to tell her or keep quiet.

She heard three shrill beeps as his communication lacrima buzzed in his pocket. He smirked and put it against his ear. "Hello."

"Oh come on!" Lucy griped.

"Hey baby." Gray turned on his heel to find some place quieter. "I'm _so so so_ glad you called. No, I'm not busy."

 _No matter, Natsu will tell me._

Natsu turned half away from Lucy, watching something in the distance. Lucy couldn't quite tell what had his attention, but he had hers for sure. He looked so painfully handsome. The lights and shadows highlighted the angles of his cheek bones and nose as well as the roundness of his shoulders.

Lucy swallowed hard, trying to get a grip. She buried her questions and stepped closer to Natsu. "Enjoying yourself?" She asked.

Natsu blinked and looked at Lucy as if he had only then noticed her presence. "What?"

They locked eyes and for reasons not quite known, Lucy couldn't look away. Natsu himself watched her with a drunken gaze, despite not having consumed a single drop of liquor. Lucy felt goosebumps tingling as they raced up her arms.

The shadows danced on his face, making his eyes look even darker in an almost inhuman way.

 _E.N.D._ The name brushed across the back of Lucy's mind giving her chills.

In between the passing shadows Lucy saw in his eyes the reflection of the fire from the torches flickering like stars against a black sky.

Lucy's gaze lowered shyly. She nervously flicked her sight to the dancing villagers. It looked like they were having a lot of fun, and she yearned to join in.

"Hey kids." Mabel's voice came out of now where. The woman held a young child on her hip.

"This is Neville." She introduced.

Nevelle buried his face into his grandmother's hair. "He's only shy around beautiful women." Mabel mused.

"Hi Neville. Natsu called in a friendly tone.

The boy griped Mabel's shirt tighter. Mabel looked at Lucy and shrugged. "Anyway, when are you going to ask Lucy to dance?"

Natsu looked at Mabel and laughed. "I don't dance."

Lucy thought back to the time way way way back when Natsu had stood on the table in the old guild hall and danced like an idiot.

"Uriah can teach you, when your ready." Mabel looked at Lucy and winked. "There's a thing called the Maiden's circle. Each volunteering lady has a solo dance, are you interested?"

Lucy felt uncomfortable with that suggestion from the start.

"Sure she is." Natsu pushed. "Lucy's been dancing since she was three."

Lucy remembered telling him once about having dance lessons when she was growing up. The lessons stopped when her mom died, but she still practiced many nights afterwards to the same waltz. The Ballad of Manette, which was her mother's favorite classical song.

"I'll do it." Lucy agreed.

"I'll let the Elder Nayou know." Mabel bowed her head and headed towards the crowd.

Lucy punched Natsu in the arm, wondering if she had mistaken his arm for a steel pole. "Thanks for throwing me in there, Mr. I-don't-dance."

Natsu smiled down at her. "Only for people I trust."

Lucy shook the pain from her wrist. "I can't believe you remember I've been dancing since I was three. I told you that one time, months ago."

Natsu shrugged.

"Hey guys." A short, barrel chested guy named Gunner stepped up to Lucy and Natsu. His wife Francis nodded hello.

"What's up buddy?" Natsu greeted.

"Just taking a break from dancing." Gunner panted, sweat glistened on his brow.

They had worked close to Gunner several times during the last couple of days. Francis was a bit shy, so she hardly spoke. She seemed to always wear her raven black hair tied back into a bun. Tonight she had two loose curls on either side of her pale face.

"Do you drink?" Gunner held up a flask. "Ladies first."

Natsu looked at Lucy and then back at the flask. "Oh no." He pushed the flask away from her.

The way he said it made Lucy think back to the Gala. She cringed as the memories overwhelmed her.

Even so Lucy looked up at Natsu with narrowed eyes. _Really?_

"And you said you were from Fiore?" Gunner laughed. "I thought everyone drinks in Fiore."

"Mostly everyone does." Lucy said.

"Ah, I see."

"Where's Hal?" Natsu asked. Hal was Gunner's younger brother, still a kid. Natsu and Hal had spent a lot of time goofing off and laughing.

"Hal is..." Gunner turned side to side, running his gaze through the crowd. "Somewhere around here."

"I told him I'd let him get a few hits in tonight."

Gunner smirked. "Don't go easy on him, he's a little punk."

"I never go easy."

"We could really use you guys here." Gunner sighed.

"What you could use," Natsu suggested. "Is magic."

"Maybe in a hundred years." Gunner looked over at Francis who was swaying to the music.

"You really only have two guys to protect everyone?" Lucy questioned.

"A handful of guys." Gunner said, not really looking at Lucy when he said it.

"Do they use weapons?" Natsu asked.

"No," Gunner shook his head. "It's all hand to hand."

Natsu's expression darkened. "I need to go up against one of these guys."

"Ha, why?" Gunner laughed.

"To see where I stand."

"You're just curious?"

"Yep."

"Ugh," Gunner whined. "I should have grown up in Fiore, I'd love to go on quests and fight."

"We'll pick you up on the way home." Natsu offered.

Gunner looked at Francis to check her expression. She actually looked worried. "What do you say Francis?"

The young woman smiled nervously and shook her head. Her curls bouncing to and fro.

"Guess that's a no."

"Maybe you could visit." Lucy suggested.

Looking down Gunner said. "If we ever have the means to..."

"I hate to think that this village could be attacked again at anytime." Natsu said, looking around them. "Maybe tonight we could get a bunch of fighters together, sneak over the border and wipe them out?"

Gunner and Francis stared at Natsu, trying to figure out how serious he was. Lucy knew he was dead serious.

"Between my team and yours, we'll be back by noon time tomorrow."

Gunner blinked. "If we attack the guys that attacked us we'd start a war."

"Their King isn't as lenient as our parliment." Francis added in a tight voice, speaking for the first time. "He won't stand for an attack."

"So what's the plan?" Natsu asked."Just keep letting them attack?"

"We don't want conflict." Gunner shook his head. "We just want to live in peace with our families and friends. We couldn't defend ourselves, and our Parliment hasn't done anything. All we can do is endure."

Lucy could tell Natsu was bothered with the Cyrenese's taciturn nature. He nodded all the same.

The villagers clapped and cheered. Lucy looked over and saw the crowd leaving the center of the square. The music changed tune, starting off soft and sweet.

Lucy saw a gir in a flowy skirt step into the center of the square. Her friends and family whooped and whistled.

"The Maiden's Circle." Gunner informed them. "It's pretty neat to watch."

Lucy watched the girl spin right, clap. spin left, clap. Then she kicked her feet one at a time. Left. Right. Left, left right. Then she clapped, before starting over again. After the third time the tempo of the song began to speed up and the crowd clapped with the beat of the drum.

"This is your last night?" Gunner asked.

"Yep, I think we're leaving mid morning." Said Natsu, looking away from the dancing girl.

"And hey, you're staying at Dean's right?"

"Uh-" Natsu opened his mouth, not quite knowing how to answer.

"Just asking because no one has seen him today, he was supposed to meet with the minute men today." Gunner explained. "My older Brother is a part of the defense group, didn't see him. Thought you might know."

Natsu shook his head. "Haven't heard from him either.

Lucy looked up at Natsu's expression in shock. He kept his face straight, not revealing any truth. Lucy felt frustrated that he was keeping something from her.

Her mind went to the worse scenario, being that they murdered or seriously hurt Dean. Did Natsu challenge him to a fight?

 _Surely they didn't go that far?_

"He never misses a meeting," Gunner shook his head. "In fact he jumps down my Brother's throat any time he's late."

"He'll turn up." Natsu promised.

"Yeah, I'm sure he will."

The clapping reached a crescendo and the girl was a blur of movement. Finally she spun left and then right and bowed. Her dark hair tumbled down and nearly touched the ground.

The crowd errupted in cheers and applause.

Lucy heard a violist give three short notes as three young girls leaped towards each other in the center of the square. They reached out their left hands and touched them together before stepping lightly in a circle. The music picked up as the instruments blended together, light and springy.

"Well," Gunner back away with Francis to leave. "We're going to catch up with Francis's family. I gotta say hello."

"See ya around." Natsu watched the two disappear into the crowd.

The question of Dean's whereabouts weighed heavy on Lucy's mind. She decided to try and let it go. "Do you want to go sit down?" She asked.

"Yeah."

They walked around for a second before finding two empty chairs.

Natsu sat down and slumped into his chair. Lucy gave him a look of concern.

"What's gotten into you?" She asked, putting a hand on the back of his chair and leaning closer.

Natsu groaned and looked the direction opposite of Lucy. She leaned back a bit and looked around the square for an answer. The three girls were in the middle of their routine and far off in the distance Lucy could see Wendy laughing with her newly met friends.

Her eyes found Natsu again. She put her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her neatly woven fingers. Natsu looked so stressed out about something, but at the same time it was likely he was over reacting. She wondered if he'd act this way sitting with Erza and or Gray. She tilted her head and stared at Natsu until he figured out she was still waiting for an answer.

Finally her gaze must have burned enough to earn her a glance. Lucy raised her eyebrows. He blinked and looked away.

Lucy exhaled. "Are you just anxious to go?"

"No. I just want to do more."

"Oh." Lucy spoke.

"We did all this work rebuilding, but any day now the Joyans could come back with more people and destroy the place all over again."

"Why don't you go by yourself?" Lucy half mused. "That's usally your style."

"I'll take Happy with me." Natsu decided. "We could be back by noon."

"Before then, I'm sure."

"I'll make sure they know it was me, and not one of the Cyrenese."

Lucy felt a flash of panic, hoping she hadn't instigated something.

Natsu bit his cheek, thinking it through.

He never used to think this long on a decison. Lucy thought.

"But..." He sighed. "It's not my business..."

 _How did you get this way?_ Lucy was dying to ask. He was acting ...mature.

"Not your...'business'?" Lucy echoed slowly.

The corner of Natsu's mouth turned up. "I can't fight their wars for them."

"Whoa." The words tumbled out of her mouth. "Natsu Dragneel turning down a fight."

Natsu shifted in his seat. "Just being honest, it's their fight."

In those words Lucy spotted the Natsu she had known since the beginning. There was an unspoken rule among her guild mates. If a fight was between an enemy and a certain guild mate, they didn't step in. Same goes if a guild mate calls an enemy for themselves. They are to step back and let their guild mate fight the enemy themselves. It was an honor code of sorts. Lucy felt relieved to find some continuity. They only time she could remember Natsu breaking that code was when her celestial spirits went AWOL. She felt a rush of shame that she had long since buried away. Her own spirits breaking their contracts. The sadness left a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Hey," Natsu dropped his hand on the table with a **THUD** that yanked Lucy out of her stupor. "I have faith in them. They have a lot of heart, and that's all they need to pull through."

"Yeah." Lucy agreed. "We know that first hand, right?"

"Right."

Lucy felt an emotion bubble inside her and it was so sudden that it startled her. She sat straight up in her seat.

Natsu tensed up and watched her for a cue.

She felt the emotion wane on it's own, wondering what caused it. It felt like a mix of fear and anxiety. Lucy didn't want to alarm Natsu, but the idea that Uzumi might be following her set her on edge.

"It's fine." She blinked, settling back into her seat. "I just felt...weird." Lucy laid her arm down on the table and started picking at a few of the splinters.

"Is it like back home?" He asked.

He was talking about a handful of time back in Magnolia when she had what seemed like a panic attack of sorts. At best her head just spun, but at worst she had thrown up a couple of times.

"Maybe..." Lucy rubbed her face. "There's been a lot going on...even more now with those freaks chasing us."

"Eh." Natsu shrugged. "I doubt they'll mess with us again."

Lucy wasn't too sure. "They're bounty hunters."

"Pushovers."

"Compared to you, they're worse than pushovers."

"Compared to _us_...they're nothing to worry about."

Lucy felt her face warm up. She busied herself with picking at the splinters raising up.

Natsu looked down at Lucy's hand and watched her work. Then she watched his hand move over close enough to slowly brush three fingers over the top of her hand. The touch froze her insides, even her lungs failed. She looked up at him, but he was still fixed on her hand. A small smile played on his lips. Lucy stretched her own fingers out and traced part of his hand. The top of his hand to the base of his pinky was as soft as silk with a brief pause as she made it past his rough knuckle and then back to the silk. She saw him lift his hand to touch hers again.

"Look at you two." Gray appeared out of no where and found a seat across from them. "Sitting down at a party."

Lucy could have pushed Gray into a black hole straight to the celestial world in that moment.

"For now." Natsu said, sitting up. "Lucy's about to dance."

"Yeah." Lucy said glumly.

"Well, I have news for you guys." Gray smirked and looked straight at Natsu.

The chair beside Lucy pulled out and Erza plopped down in it. "Having fun?"

"Perfect timing." Gray leaned forward. "Gajeel's gonna be a Dad."

 _Perfect timing my butt_ Lucy thought bitterly.

Natsu nearly fell out of his chair. "What?!"

"No way!" Erza gushed. "A baby!"

"With Levi." Gray added.

"Glorious!" Erza cheered.

"When did he even get married?!" Natsu questioned.

"Beats me." Gray looked around at the passing villagers. "But the baby will be here in December."

"We'll have to plan a baby shower." Erza decided, conjuring a notebook. She flipped about halfway through the pages and pulled a pen out of the wire rings.

Lucy looked over and saw her write 'Baby Shower' as the header.

"We'll have the funds by then." Gray said confidently.

Lucy watched her write a few more words and noticed the three bracelets on Erza's wrist.

"Whoa!" Lucy choked. "Three proposals."

Erza looked up from her notebook and prodded the woven thread with her pen.

"Who?" Lucy asked.

"Paul, and two other guys." Erza scribbled with her pen. "I forgot their names actually."

"So when's the big day?" Gray mused.

Erza raised her eyebrows. "You don't really think I'd agree to marry any of these guys?"

"You're wearing their bracelets aren't you?"

She smiled and raised them to her face. The colors were green and white, Blue white and black and red and black. "Mementos."

"I had six girls stop me on the way to find you guys." Gray admitted, he gritted his teeth before finishing his tale. "I would have been here sooner, but I had to explain to Juvia why girls were proposing to me."

Lucy and Erza giggled.

"Where all of your bracelets." Erza asked Lucy.

For no reason at all Lucy looked down at her wrists as if some bracelets might have inexplicably appeared. "Luckily no one has approached me."

"Or me." Natsu said with an air of relief.

"Probably not, especially if you've been near Lucy the whole night so far." Erza, tapped her pen against the table.

 _They think we're a couple._ Lucy couldn't make herself look at Natsu. She hoped with all her heart that his gesture meant something. Maybe they would be a couple sometime soon.

"Lucy." Mabel appeared, holding a sleeping Neville against her side. "Are you ready?"

"For the Maiden's circle." Lucy gulped.

"Go on." Natsu encouraged. "We'll be right here."

Lucy's heart quickened in her chest. She got butterflies from time to time, but Lucy was born to perform.

"I'm ready." She stood to follow Mabel to the edge of the square. She was going to give them a performance they'd never forget.

* * *

 **Thank you Lord Jaric for your sharp eye. I truly appreciate the feedback. I'd love to receive more feedback and opinions for the chapters to come. Feel free to drop a comment. Thank you all for the reviews, favorites, and follows.**


	10. Leaving Cyrene Pt 2

She spun once, twice and once again on her toes. The song was foreign to her, but the old routine she used happened to pair well with it. If anything the tempo was a bit faster. It had been Erza's suggestion to wear tights underneath their skirts and she was glad to have done so. Her routine wouldn't have been as grand if she couldn't bend or spin.  
She rolled her arms and pushed them to the right, folding her body with the flow of the movement before rolling back up and twisting to the right. Her hands ran through the air and touched the opposite shoulder. She paused, and then repeated the same steps on the other side of the floor space. A few bracelets littered the square, Lucy wondered if they were rejections. Then, she wondered bitterly if any of the cast out bracelets had come from Dean, despite knowing that he had yet to show his face tonight.

She fought to keep that bitterness from showing on her face as she leaned backwards and stretched out her right leg for balance. She felt a flash of anxiousness, still not knowing what had happened to the guy. Natsu and Gray were physically capable of doing things she couldn't even imagine. There was already a good amount of tension between them so who knows what happened that night. Her arms swooped to the left, giving her enough force to spin once and then she used the strength in her support foot to give one, two, three more turns...each one slower than the last.

Lucy took four pointed steps to the left before pushing off the ground and cart wheeled mid-air. she landed on the tips of her feet. A wave of gasps and 'Ooohs' reached her ears, reminding her that she had an audience.

When she was a girl her mother and father always sat in the front row at her recitals. She was clumsy then, often tripping over her own feet.

 ** _"I don't wanna dance anymore." A young Lucy pouted, her tiny fists buried in the flouncy pink tutu. She sat in the back of her family's luxury car, her father and mother sat on either side of her._**

 ** _"But you danced so beautifully tonight?" Layla Heartfilia assured her. "Didn't she dear?"_**

 ** _"I was very proud." Jude Heartfilia swore._**

 ** _Lucy slumped in her seat. "I tripped and knocked down Ira, she won't be my friend now."_**

 ** _"She'll forgive you. Besides..." Layla reached up to fix Lucy's pigtail. "You picked yourself back up and kept going, that's all that matters."_**

 ** _"You just need more practice." Jude dug through the tutu to hold Lucy's little hand. "If you give up now then you'll never become a ballerina. That is your dream, right?"_**

 ** _"Yeah." Lucy muttered, kicking her feet._**

 ** _"In ten years time," Layla mused. "Imagine where you'll be."_**

 ** _"Performing in front of an adoring crowd," Jude painted the scene for her. "Your grace and beauty moving them to tears..."_**

 ** _Layla found Lucy's other hand and gave it a loving squeeze. "We'll be right there in the front row, smiling up at our darling ballerina."_**

Lucy bit her cheek hard to counter the wave of sorrow that tried to overcome her. The tears that welled in her eyes made the lights appear to dance along side her. She was able to quickly blink them away.

It was a little over ten years now, and She never stopped practicing even when her father isolated her from the outside world. Now here she was performing in another country. She couldn't say whether or not the onlookers were exactly an adoring audience...but leaning on a rail close to the square was someone who mattered to her nearly as deeply as her own mother. She saw Natsu looking up at her, watching every movement as if he were trying to memorize the steps. His known presence burned away the lasting remnants sorrow.

The music slowed, coming to an end. Lucy froze in her final position, before slowly letting her outreached arms float down to her sides.

The crowd was painfully silent at first. She blinked and threw her gaze around to see blank stares aimed at her.

"Yeah Lucy!" She heard Happy cheer.

Then a loud whistle broke the silence and a couple scattered claps begun an avalanche of applause.

Lucy exhaled and exited the square. The crowd parted for her as she found her way back to her friends. Natsu fell into step behind her.

"You made that look so easy."

Behind her the music started back up as the next dancer took her place in the middle of the square.

Lucy wiped sweat off of her forehead. "Years of practice."

Happy flew around her head like a house fly. "That was amazing!"

"Thank you." She sat down at their table.

"Brava!" Erza clapped.

Gray nodded.

Natsu sat in the chair opposite of her and she felt every foot between them. She wanted to go back to the moment when he was touching her hand. How far would that have gone without Gray's sudden appearance. Lucy filled her lungs with air and exhaled.

"We better go to bed soon." Erza suggested. "We'll want to be on our way by noon."

"Good." Natsu said, shuffling in his seat. "I say we leave before dawn."

"What?" Happy complained. "We'll be so tired!"

"Yeah Natsu." Gray smirked. "What's the hurry, it's been too long since the last time we've been to a party. We don't want to leave yet."

Natsu glared at Gray for a short second before looking away. "I'm just ready to get going again."

Erza's eyes narrowed. "This doesn't have anything to do with Dean, does it?" She asked in a dry tone.

Natsu looked down at the table. "Nope."

Lucy leaned forward. "He's missing. You didn't hurt him did you?"

"He's alive." Gray confirmed, with a dark chuckle.

Natsu leaned back in his seat with ease. "Don't worry about it."

"Oh boy." Erza slapped her hand over her face.

"On a more important note," Gray changed the subject. "How are we gonna get back in the room?"

"Through the window," Erza told him. "When the coast is clear."

Lucy tensed up, frustrated that they were keeping something from her.

 **-0-**

After about an hour the Maiden Circle came to an end and the villagers found partners. The square was covered once again with people swaying, spinning and swinging each other around. There was one fist fight, but it was quickly disbanded.

Natsu laid his head on the table and fake sobbed. "That makes me miss home."

Gray patted his friend's back roughly. "There there."

"I need a good fight right now." Natsu sniffed.

"You're a beautiful dancer." A young girl stepped up to Lucy.

Lucy stared at the girl, wondering who she was until Mabel and Uriah stepped up. Neville was asleep in his grandmother's arms.

"Slow down Ellie." Uriah chastised.

Ellie took a step back, but opened her mouth to speak. "How long did it take to learn how to flip in the air like that?"

Lucy turned in her seat to face the girl. "I started gymnastics when I was six, but I have been dancing since I was three."

"My aunt is teaching me." Ellie told her, "I can do this."

Ellie proudly swung her arms and wrapped them around her shoulders to gain momentum. She spun once, and twice before stopping to beam up at Lucy.

Lucy and Mabel clapped. "Very good."

"We don't have official instructors here." Mable said, sounding a little dismayed. "Everything taught is passed down."

"None of the people here have seen anything like what you did." Uriah said.

"Was dancing a big deal in Old Cyrene?" Lucy asked, trying to get the attention off of her.

"Oh yes." Uriah said nostalgically. "The square in this village is a near exact replica of Cyrenity Square in the old one. It's a tribute to Cyrene's dancing culture. Dance is used for everything, funerals, weddings, birthdays, courtship..."

"Storytelling." Mabel added.

"That." Uriah confirmed.

"My Great Grandmother was a famous dancer." Mabel told them. "She and my Great Aunts performed for the King at his wedding."

"The King wanted to marry her to his younger brother." Said Uriah.

"But she was already engaged to my Great Grandfather." Mabel laughed.

"I want to perform for a King one day." Ellie dreamed.

"Just keep practicing and you just might." Lucy promised.

Ellie nodded and completed more turns.

Uriah pulled the chair out for Mabel and then sat down next to her. They were joined by a man that closely resembled Uriah with his square jaw and long nose. His eyes were most like Mabel's, round and up turned.

"Dylan!" Mabel greeted.

Dylan nodded. "Hey mom."

"Dad!" Ellie cheered. "I was practicing my turns, see!"

"That's great sweetie." He sat down next to Uriah.

"Where's Georgia?" Uriah asked.

"She took the other kids home, she's tired."

Uriah went around the table to introduce everybody.

"You look stressed Honey." Mabel pointed out."

Dylan leaned back in his chair and scratched the back of his head. "There's talk going around about leading an attack against Spartanville. The young guys are riling eachother up."

"Not Kenny, right?" Mabel asked in a strained voice. "Please tell me your brother doesn't have a part in this."

"Kenny too." Dylan confirmed.

"Who the hell is the brains behind this stupidity?" Uriah grumbled.

Lucy threw a quick look at Natsu. He looked back at her and then away real quick.

"Gunner." Dylan spat.

"What?" Uriah said in disbelief. "That boy is scared of his own shadow?"

Dylan shrugged. "I don't know how they think they'll pull this off."

"We just need to put our faith in the Parliment." Mabel stroked Neville's nervously. "They're the only ones that can do any good."

"They have too much going on with Bosco, mother." Dylan said, looking down at his hands.

"What's going on with Bosco?" Erza asked.

"Slave trade." Dylan answered. "There has been enough word of mouth to convince all of Ishgar that the women are being taken somewhere in Bosco. Nobody knows where or what for."

"Glamor models." Natsu piped in.

"Oh yeah." Lucy leaned forward in her seat. "I was almost taken by a guy from Bosco. He was hired to find potential glamor models."

"Did you tell anyone about that?" Dylan asked her pointedly.

Lucy felt shame wash over her like syrup. "No, I didn't."

"That's a pretty big piece of information." Mabel frowned. "You should have."

"Where's that guy now?" Uriah asked.

"In Fiore." Lucy answered. "We ran into him before we helped put on that play."

"You need to tell someone as soon as possible." Mabel stressed.

"I will." Lucy promised, mentally kicking herself. She had naively believed that the incident wasn't that big.

 _I've been sitting on that information for years while countless women and girls have been kidnapped and missing for years._

"Countless wizards have been hired to track them down, but to no avail." Dylan said.

"How many women have disappeared from here?" Gray asked.

"None." Uriah said cheerfully.

"Well that's good." Erza muttered.

"For us." Mabel said sadly. "Thousands of girls have gone missing over the years."

Lucy thought about how easily she and the other girls had ended up on Bora's boat. By luck she had been able to recognize his charms over her. Otherwise, Lucy had no doubt that she would still be missing.

"The good news," Dylan said in a terse tone. "Is that nobody is going anywhere without Paul and Dean and neither of them have been seen in the last hour."

"They better stay gone." Uriah grumbled. "If they start a war I'll beat them before the Joyans get to them!"

"I was with Paul about an hour ago." Erza admitted. "He said he was going to run home for a minute."

"Did he come back?"

"Not that I know of."

"Dean and Paul are usually the loudest ones at these celebrations." Dylan muttered. "It's too quiet without them."

"No kidding." Uriah looked around at the crowd for their faces.

"Maybe they felt like they had already proposed to everyone this year?" Dylan joked, twisting Lucy's stomach.

"Actually." Erza raised her wrist.

"That's not coming in my house." Uriah warned.

Erza laughed. "I'll leave it outside, I promise."

Dylan groaned.

"What is it son?" Uriah asked.

"Just how chaotic everything is," Dylan tapped his fingers on the table. "There is so much political unrest and I'm afraid we're right in the middle."

"I think it sounds messed up that the Parliament won't do anything about Joya." Erza said flatly. "Surely they could at least create a base or something. I mean Cyrene is a part of Iceburg."

"I'm sure they just care about the land." Uriah rolled his eyes.

"It's all about resources." Dylan spat.

"All the monarchies are playing coy." Uriah shook his finger. "They don't want to make the first move. All it's gonna take is a wrong move on someone's part and then woosh!" Uriah moved his arms upward. "Everything hits the fan."

Lucy frowned, wondering if he believed Fiore to be a part of this.

"Queen Hisui isn't like that." Natsu shook his head. "She's peaceful."

"She's naive." Uriah said bitterly. "Fiore is infamous for keeping to itself."

"That's not true though." Natsu countered.

"We can attest to that." Erza swore. "Our guild has been a part of several battles that left the fate of the world swinging in the balance."

"Because they happened on Fiorian soil." Dylan said. "If it happened anywhere else there's no telling when Fiore would step in."

"Either way," Gray said with cold eyes. "We fought to the end of our strength to save Ishgar."

"All of humanity was set to be annihilated." Lucy muttered.

"I just don't know if I believe it." Uriah shook his head. "Demons and dragons"

"A black wizard of death." Mabel threw in.

Gray narrowed his eyes. "His name was-"

Natsu shot his hand out and hovered it an inch away from Gray's chest. "We don't need to defend ourselves." Natsu scowled. "We know what happened and that's all that matters."

"E.N.D.?" Uriah guessed.

The name froze the table like a spell.

"Not even close." Erza shook her head, breaking the ice.

"That's the name that got back to us." Mabel told them in a cautious tone.

"You said the Black Wizard of Death right?" Dylan questioned.

"That wasn't E.N.D." Erza informed them.

"We've heard about this before." Dylan reminded his parents. "The Book of Zeref."

"Ah." Mabel sighed. "That's right, the father of demons."

"Stories." Uriah spat.

"The Demon and the Maiden of the Sea." Mabel recounted. "That's the most popular one, at least around here. I can hardly remember how it went..."

"The fall of Charlotte." Dylan threw out there.

"What are those about?" Lucy asked.

"It's fiction." Mabel half rolled her eyes. "

"Children's tales." Uriah agreed.

"About what?" Erza pressed.

"A Demon falling in love with an island girl." Uriah said vaguely.

"The girl belonged to a Dragon." Mabel added. "The Dragon was so angry when she fell in love with the demon that he destroyed her home with one breath."

"I wonder if the Dragon was a human?" Erza said aloud, trying to rationalize the story.

"That used Dragon slayer magic?" Lucy added.

"That would explain why she 'belonged' to him." Erza nodded.

"What's that?" Uriah asked.

"It's a magic taught by dragons or...implanted with a lacrima. Eventually a human that uses it turns into a dragon." Erza explained. "Maybe this 'Dragon' knew the girl beforehand."

"And destroyed the island out of grief?" Mabel put together.

"Does the story mention that?" Gray asked.

"Uh..." Mabel looked at Uriah.

"I don't remember anything about a human dragon." Uriah shrugged.

"Maybe ask Sue." Mabel suggested. "She's the reader of the family."

"Sue stayed home." Dylan told them. "Rallie is sick."

"Oh, my poor grandbaby." Mabel cooed.

"Who was E.N.D. then." Uriah asked. "You sound affiliated with him or something."

"The Demon to end all demons." Dylan said. "The most evil and powerful of all."

"Yikes." Mabel shuddered.

Natsu pushed out of his seat.

"Natsu-" Lucy gasped.

"-I'm going to bed." He turned and walked through the crowd.

Lucy scrambled to chase after Natsu to make sure he was okay, but Gray stopped her.

"Someone needs to go after him!" Lucy growled.

"Let me Lucy." Gray said, looking into her eyes firmly.

Lucy bit her cheek, wondering why it felt like Gray was trying to protect her from Natsu.

"You boys would be better off grabbing your things from The Walker's house and staying over at our place tonight." Uriah offered.

"You sure?" Gray asked.

"Yeah." Uriah nodded. "No telling what's going on over there."

"You know where the house key is?" Mabel asked.

"Yes ma'am." Gray nodded, and turned away to follow Natsu.

"What was that about?" Mabel looked at Erza with wide eyes.

Lucy watched Gray weave through the crowd and fade from sight.

"E.N.D. isn't evil." Lucy said in a tight voice. "Far from it."

Uriah's brow was furrowed in thought. "You sound like you knew him personally."

"I did." Lucy confirmed. "But E.N.D. doesn't exist anymore. I made sure of it."

"If he wasn't evil," Uriah questioned. "Then why did you need to get rid of him?"

"It's hard to explain." Erza drummed her fingers on the table. "It's too late to get into that tale."

Uriah and his family stared up Erza, the air was thick with questions.

"Thank you for telling us." Mabel said finally. "And please give our appologies to Natsu for us, we didn't mean to insult anybody. We are very grateful for your help."

"Truly grateful." Uriah emphasized.

"We will." Erza promised.

Lucy looked up and saw Wendy approaching with a sleepy Happy and Carla in her arms. "I'm gonna take them home." Wendy said.

"Let's all go." Erza said, standing.

"I'll make breakfast in the morning." Mabel said. "Before you go."

"Thank you." Wendy bowed.

"Goodnight." Lucy called as she hurried through the crowd.

"Wait up." Wendy's voice reached her.

Lucy slowed her pace and the two girls caught up.

"Where's the guys?" Wendy asked.

"They went home already." Lucy filled her in. "Uriah is letting them stay with us."

"That's a relief." Wendy sighed. "I didn't like sneaking them in."

"Me either." Erza agreed.

"We still don't know what they did to get kicked out." Lucy grumbled.

"Clearly Dean did something to piss Natsu off." Erza reasoned.

"Or Gray." Wendy threw in.

"It was Natsu." Erza and Lucy said together.

"How do you know?"

Erza chuckled. "I could tell by the way Gray looked at me last night, it was a classic 'Natsu did something dumb and/or impulsive' look."

"Sounds about right." Lucy huffed.

They made it to the house and Erza used the spare key to let themselves in. They could hear Gray and Natsu's laughter echoing through the halls.

Lucy pushed her way in.

Natsu laid on his back with his right leg crossed over his knee.

"What's so funny?" Lucy asked. Happy to see a smile on Natsu's face.

"Juvia called," Gray filled them in. "They found out the baby is a girl and Gajeel fainted."

"Hahaha!" Natsu gasped for air. "What a wimp!"

"A girl!" Erza squealed.

Lucy and Wendy grabbed hands and looked at eachother with wide eyes.

"Have they thought of names yet!" Erza had folded her hands together and brought it up to her face.

"Uh..." Gray put the lacrima back to his ear. "Baby, did they mention names...no."

"Gajeelia?" Natsu suggested.

Lucy laughed and plopped down her bed. "You just add 'ia' to any name and think it's great."

"Gajeelia!" Erza gushed. "I love it."

"How far along is she?" Wendy asked.

"How far along is she?" Gray asked. "Four months...due in December."

"Five more months!" Erza cheered.

"We need to hurry and get home." Lucy fell back on the bed. "I'm ready to be an Aunt!"

"First we need to get the hell out of here." Natsu muttered.

"We'll get up in the morning, eat breakfast, and then hit the road." Erza chattered. "I'm going to take a shower." She practically ran out of the room.

Lucy smiled, glad that some happy news had busted the negative energy set upon them by their host's lack of knowledge. She dug through her clothes to find something clean and cool to change into for bed, deciding she'd shower in the morning.

"Guys, do you have enough blankets?" Lucy asked Gray and Natsu. "It's kind of chilly tonight."

"I'm good." Gray told her.

"Yep." Natsu yawned.

"I know." Gray murmured to Juvia. "I'm sorry for the delay...more and more everyday. We'll go on a quest. Just the two of us...Anywhere you want. I miss you too..."

"Trying to sleep here." Natsu grumbled.

 **Wham!**

"Ow!" Natsu howled. "What'd you throw at me?"

"I miss you more babe."

 **Wham!**

"Nastu!" Gray sneered.

Lucy sat up and saw Gray squeezing a pillow in his hand.

"You threw it first."

"You were being rude."

"You're the one keeping us awake."

"Goodnight Juvia." Gray grumbled, ending the call. "Truce."

"Truce." Natsu rolled over on his mat.'

Lucy rolled her eyes and snuggled back into her blankets. Worry for Natsu swelled in her chest, but she was able to smooth it down. He was still raw from everything that had gone down over the last two years. She was too, and nothing helped better than being around her friends. She listened to her friends breathing and smiled, hoping they'd be together like this for a long time.

 **-0-**

Lucy woke up to a sunlit room and felt something warm against her abdomen. Looking down she saw a ball of blue fur and smiled at how cute the little bastard was. Lucy loved how silky smooth his ears were, she ran one between her thumb and forefinger. She took care to move around him, not wanting to wake him up. As she finished tucking a blanket around him black marks on her hand caught Lucy's eyes.

 _Marker?_

Confused, Lucy stepped around the bags on the floor. Natsu and Gray were already up and gone, but Erza, Wendy and Carla were still sleeping soundly in their beds. Lucy grabbed her clothes for the day and shut the bedroom door softlybehind her.

At the far end of the hallway she saw the back of Natsu's head, a pink tangle of hair. Gray peeked around Natsu and smirked. Lucy saw his mouth move, saying something to Natsu.

Lucy looked down at the door knob and reached her hand out to twist it open.

She heard Natsu snort.

Self-consciously she looked down, looking for the source. Nothing. Lucy pushed her way into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Looking all around she didn't see anything weird. Lucy pulled her shirt over her head and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror.

"Oh!" She shrieked.

Someone had drawn a mustache and goatee on her face. As well as a flower around her eye and a kitten nose.

"This had better wash off!" She threatened. She finished stripping down and hopped into the shower. It was freezing at first so she impatiently huddled in the corner. Eventually the water began to steam and she went to work scrubbing her face with soap and a loofah. The water turned her skin pink, but it didn't hurt her. Lucy turned the water off and stepped on the floor mat so she could check the status of her face. After wiping off the mirror Lucy could still see the faint black marks.

She growled and stepped back into the shower to scrub some more. Eventually the water ran cold and Lucy had to get out. She wrapped herself in a towel and patted her face dry. She could still barely see the lines, she figured it was Happy that did this.

 _I'm gonna shave his face, see how he likes that._

Lucy began her skin care routine, hoping it would knock off more of the permanent marker. After her skin was dry enough Lucy dressed in her shorts and tank top. Since they were hitting the road again, there was no need to dress modestly. Just for now, Lucy put a button up shirt over her tank top and buttoned it up to her collarbone. After brushing out her hair and wrapping it in a towel Lucy began to clean up the bathroom. She used a spare towel to mop up any water that had escaped the shower.

She could smell eggs and bacon reaching through the door towards her.

"After this it's back to fish and sandwiches." Lucy sighed.

"Good morning Lucy." Happy called out to her.

Lucy kept her head down and went to their bedroom.

She threw off the towel and looked in the mirror. Her face was good as new.

 _Lucky for him._

Not wanting to be in a bad mood, Lucy hung back for a minute. She made her bed and went around the room to gather her things. Erza and Wendy's beds were neatly made while the guys sleeping areas were a tangled mess of blankets and pillows. Her stomach growled and she couldn't hang back any longer.

 **-0-**

"I'm sure going to miss you guys." Mabel admitted. They sat on her porch swing, waiting on the guys to finish packing and showering.

"It's been a great week." Erza smiled. "I really enjoyed playing a hand in rebuilding."

"It's becoming a knack of yours." Lucy pointed out.

Erza rubbed her chin with her hand in thought. "You're right."

Wendy sat on the ground, meditating. Lucy could feel the wind picking up around the girl, raising her pigtails.

"Try and come through on your way back." Mabel said in a somber tone.

Lucy threw an arm around her shoulder and hugged her host. "We will."

Mabel turned and hugged her back.

"Goodmorning." Erza called out to an approaching visitor.

Lucy looked up to see Paul Walker crossing the lawn to greet them. He had a goofy look on his face.

"What brings you here this early?" Mabel asked.

"I came to apologize on behalf of my brother."

He had Lucy's complete attention. "Is he okay?"

"Uh..." Paul looked up over their heads. "He's a bit shaken."

Lucy's stomach dropped. "What happened to him?"

Paul fumbled with an explanation. "You're friend...he, well...burned off my brother's eyebrows."

"WHAT!" Lucy shrieked.

"You're joking." Erza swayed.

"Why did he do that?" Lucy asked jumping to her feet.

"Are they completely gone?" Wendy asked.

"Yeah."

"Hopefully they'll grow back." Erza said, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

Lucy followed her guildmates lead and cracked a smile.

Paul's shoulders shook with laughter of his own. "My brother is a dick sometimes, can't say he didn't deserve it...excuse my language Mabel."

"Were you there?" Lucy asked.

"No, but I finally got an explanation out of him."

"And?" Erza asked.

"Apparently My brother tried to kiss Natsu."

"Ahh." The quiet scream emptied Lucy's lungs of air.

Erza froze and Wendy's hair swung like a whip as she turned to look at Erza with a look that asked. 'Are you hearing this?"

"That brute tried to kiss Natsu?" Carla chuckled.

Lucy fell backwards onto the brick wall.

 _All that time he was around me, trying to get my attention...was he really only trying to get to Natsu?_

"Well...This is where is gets weird-"

"It get's weirder?" Erza choked.

"Apparently my brother thought Natsu was Lucy." Paul finished.

"How?!" Lucy begged. "I was here."

Paul put up his hands defensively. "No clue. Dean was delusional, clearly."

"So," Erza cut in. "Dean got close enough to Natsu to kiss him, but didn't realize it wasn't Lucy?"

"I gave him hell for that." Paul chuckled. "Dean swears up and down that he was looking at Lucy when he moved in."

Lucy's brain hurt. "Was he drunk?"

"That would explain a lot." Erza mumbled.

"Nobody drinks in Cyrene." Mabel put out there. Lucy noticed how lost Mabel looked.

"We need Natsu to fill in the gaps here." Erza said, flipping her hair behind her shoulder.

"Dean told me that night he was going to come over to Mabel's to speak to Lucy...and then Lucy happened to walk into the room half naked-.'

Lucy gasped, shaking her head like a mad woman. "He's lying!"

"Well, all I know that happened next is Dean tried to kiss you and then Natsu burned his eyebrows off."

"Why is he trying to humiliate me?" Lucy buried her face in her hands.

"Lucy." Erza called to her in a measured tone.

"What?" Lucy groaned.

"Doesn't Natsu have the ability to change into you?"

Lucy's hands dropped from her face as her strength left her body.

 ** _Lucy happened to walk in the room half naked...half naked...half naked...HaLf NaKeD._**

A strangled noise escaped from Lucy's lips.

"I'm going to _kill_ him!" Lucy swore.

The front door swung open and the guys happily spilled out, gear in tow.

"It's a beautiful day for traveling." Natsu sighed, following Gray out.

Gray saw Paul and stropped in his tracks, causing Natsu to bump into him.

"Oomph!"

"Hey Paul." Gray called, he found Lucy next and looked away from her just as quick.

"Uh." Natsu looked at Paul with wide eyes.

"Well, safe travels." Paul waved and turned on his heels to leave. "No hard feelings?"

Erza chuckled darkly. "None at all."

"What did Paul want?" Natsu asked innocently.

"Damn it Natsu!" Lucy squeezed her hands into fists. "What reason could you have possibly had to change into my body, again?"

Natsu gaped like a fish. Gray completely lost it, bending in half as laughter possesed him.

"You're not helping." Natsu punched Gray in the shoulder.

"He didn't have anything to do with this, this was all you!"

"Lucy, calm down." Natsu put his hands up in defense.

"Calm down!" Lucy spat.

"Shouldn't have said that!" Happy shook his head.

Lucy snapped and took two steps toward Natsu. She grabbed his shirt and squeezed. "You came here half naked last night, didn't you?"

Natsu's eyes widened as he shrunk back from her.

Lucy released him and half turned away. "He saw me naked, that pea brained lunatic saw me naked."

"No." Natsu tried explain. "It was me he saw."

Lucy gritted her teeth. "He doesn't know it was you. He saw my face, and my body!"

"He didn't see everything." Natsu swore. "I remembered to cover up." Natsu acted out covering his chest with one arm.

Lucy groaned.

"What I want to know," Erza cut in. "Is what made you turn into Lucy."

Gray spoke first. "Dean was going off about how sure he was that he could make Lucy fall in love with him. I told him to shut up and go to bed and it pissed him off. Said that he'd just come over and propose to her that night."

Natsu nodded, looking hopeful that Lucy would see the reasoning in those spoken words.

"And then?" Lucy demanded.

"Natsu left the room and came back as you, Dean lost his mind and- HA!" Gray smacked his hand over his face and rolled with laughter.

"Tried to kiss 'Lucy?" Erza finished.

Natsu shuddered, reliving the moment.

"He turned back so fast." Gray acted out the moment, flailing his arms like Natsu had.

Happy was the only one who laughed with Gray.

"That doesn't explain why you felt using MY body was acceptable!" Lucy glared at Natsu. "You gave him the idea that I was some cheap floozy, walking in...covering my bare chest with an arm-"

"-I thought that if he was rejected by you right then and there, Dean would shove off." Natsu muttered.

"Half naked?" Lucy questioned.

"I forgot about." Natsu circled his hand around her chest. "That..until the last second."

Lucy covered her chest self conciously, anger and embarrassment shot through her veins.

Mabel gave a low whistle.

Lucy turned away from Natsu and tried to breathe.

"Lucy-" Natsu laid his hand on her shoulder, she quickly shrugged it off.

"We should probably get going." Lucy suggested flatly.

Her friends didn't move.

"Be careful out there." Mabel told them. "Did you fill up your canteens?"

"Yeah." Gray answered, his voice still thick.

One by one her friends moved to leave. Lucy led them to the front gates where they had entered on the first night.

She struggled to forgive him, it just wasn't possible for Natsu to be oblivious to how she felt about him changing into her body. She was at his throat every time it happened. It was like he had no respect for her privacy. She wasn't there to read the mood, it could have all been a joke to Natsu for all she knew. Even if he swore it wasn't. He was just too damn impulsive at her expense.

"We'll head west for now."Erza decided. "We should reach another small town around mid noon. We can break there and then keep going.

"Okay." Gray responded.

"I'm sorry I drew on your face." Happy apologized.

"Happy-." Natsu warned.

"I forgive you." Lucy spoke. "It's not the worse thing you could have done."

She heard Natsu groan.

"I'm sure Natsu didn't mean to embarrass you." Erza defended. "I mean, Dean hasn't bothered you since right?"

"That's true." Wendy helped.

"For the rest of his life," Lucy said lowly. "Dean has the sight of my bare body burned into his mind for his viewing pleasure."

"He didn't see more than you usually show." Natsu promised. "I covered everything up."

"Bro," Gray whispered. "You're not helping yourself here."

Lucy squeezed her fists and picked up the pace.

 **-0-**

 **"** Do you want to light the fire?" Natsu asked Lucy, holding two flint stones out to her. They had all worked together to find enough firewood to last the night.

"Yeah." She reached over to take them from him, their fingers brushed.

She turned towards the pit they had dug in the middle of the campsite. She set up a pile of tinder and went to work brushing the stones against each other.

 **clack clack clack**

She saw Natsu hang around at the corner of her peripheral. Lucy sighed.

 **clack clack clack**

She didn't want this tension between the two of them, but she was still too frustrated to think straight. Mabel wanted them to come back through, but how could she ever stomach seeing Dean.

 **clack clack clack**

 _I wonder if I'm overreacting? Maybe he really did mean well... he might be impulsive, but he has looked out for me quite a bit. still..._

 **clack clack clack**

 _That was so stupid..._ Lucy groaned internally.

The last hit produced enough sparks for Lucy to work with. She leaned down and blew air into the glowing heap, receiving smoke in return. She kept it up and a flame sprung to life.

Her mind wandered to Natsu touching her hand last night, they were getting closer... was this really a big enough reason to let that chance die?

 _It is if he doesn't respect my feelings._ Lucy decided. _I'm not that desperate._

She scooped the young flame in her hands and placed it under the logs. Natsu moved in and helped her stack enough twigs to keep the fire alive.

"Nice work." He praised her.

"Thanks." Lucy murmured, walking past him to sit down.

Happy and Carla had been missing for sometime, scoping out the landscape. Wendy and Erza were busy setting traps along the perimeter, just in case they had any unwanted company in the night. Gray was setting up the cooking grate over the campfire.

Lucy pulled out her keys, a rag, and a bottle of cleaner. One by one she took extra care to polish them and knock of any forming luster. Most of their food had spoiled so it was back to fish and crackers for dinner until they found a market in Bellum.

The top of Aquarius's key still hung from her key ring, she still polished it like the others. Digging her nails into the intricate designs until it shone like new. The sound of her key breaking echoed in Lucy's mind. She flinched involuntarily.

The crunching leaves alerted them of Wendy and Erza's return.

"Well," Erza said, knocking the dirt off of her hands. "No one is getting near us tonight."

Wendy and Erza high-fived.

"Nice." Gray said. "I'd welcome the fight, but I'd say we've had enough speed bumps this last week."

"Agreed." Erza snapped, fading her armor from existence. "When we get to Grand Forks, Bellum we'll rest for the night and that's when we get serious."

"How so?" Lucy asked.

"We'll use Grandpa Crux and gather as much information as we can." Erza said. "We already know the general area, we just need to know what mountain."

Gray rubbed his hands together. "I'm ready."

"Me too." Natsu smiled. "Whatever is protecting that treasure sounds pretty fierce."

"What if it's a dragon?" Wendy wondered aloud.

"Or a human that used too much Dragon Slayer magic." Erza through out there.

"We'll have to find out." Natsu sighed. "I hope it's not another dragon, anything but a dragon."

"You don't want to run into one?" Wendy asked. "What if they knew our parents?"

Natsu looked to the side. "That might be cool..."

"Yeah. It'd be like they came back to life for a moment." Wendy smiled.

Natsu half smiled. "I guess."

The group sat and ate a small dinner together. Erza and Wendy chattered happily about the baby coming this December. Lucy joined in everyone in a while, but she felt a bit too exhausted to participate more than a few words here and there.

"It's crazy." Wendy marveled, pulling her knees up to her chest. "None of our kids should even be born in this era."

"Except mine and Lucy's." Gray corrected.

"Yours and Lucy's?" Happy guffawed.

"You know what he meant." Lucy rolled her eyes.

Gray looked at his communication lacrima. "I bet Juvia heard that somehow."

"She's gonna call and chew you out." Natsu laughed.

"It's funny for you..." Gray sighed.

"Think of the entire generations that will never be born because we weren't born hundreds of years ago." Erza continued.

"Natsu would be a great great great great great grandfather by now." Happy pointed out.

"That's..." Erza paused. "Insane."

Gray stood and went to tend to the fire.

"It's crazy how messing with the future changes everything." Wendy said, picking at her ankle. "In another universe I'm a great great grandmother too..."

 _It all started with one wizard._ Lucy thought of Zeref. _He let his life spiral out of control, because of grief._

Lucy bit her lip in thought. _I forgive him._ She decided. _Nothing could ever be big enough to come in between me and my friends, even this. I'll tell him I forgive him in the morning, when it comes up._

That night Lucy dreamed that they had found the Legendary Hoard of Dragon's treasure.

 _ **"This is awesome!" Natsu cheered at the top of a mountain of gold and jewels. A ruby encrusted crown sat on his head.**_

 _ **Erza held a string of white pearls in one hand a string of pink pearls in the other. "I don't know which I like best."**_

 _ **Lucy held up a silver mirror to check out her reflection. She found a pair of emerald earrings that sparkled on her earlobes. Looking into the mirror, Lucy noticed that her hair was the same shade as Natsu's.**_

 _ **"Lucy!" Natsu jumped down beside her. "Put that down!"**_

 _ **"You're hair is blond!" Lucy pointed out.**_

 _ **Natsu ripped something from her hands, the book of E.N.D.**_

 _ **"You need to think before you go around picking things up!" Natsu told her through Lucy's body.**_

 _ **"Natsu!" He had transformed into her, this time not a single article of clothing covered her clone's body. "Where are your clothes?"**_

 _ **"I can transform into something else if you'd like?" Natsu's voice reached her ears. With her hands he opened up the book and ancient script spiraled out of it like a colony of bats. On Natsu's version of Lucy, his fingers elongated into claws and black and red scales formed up to his elbows. She stared at the form of Natsu she had never seen before. Only able to guess it was his E.N.D. form. His eyes were black as pitch and he smiled at her with his fangs.**_

 _ **"Quit playing around." Lucy snapped. She grabbed the book. "I'm gonna have to rewrite this all over again."**_

 _ **"No, you did enough."**_

 _ **The ancient script caught on fire, traveling down the spiral and igniting the book. Lucy let go of the book, but fire had already climbed up her arms.**_

 _ **"E.N.D. will live on, in one form or another."**_

 _ **"No!" Lucy cried. "Fire Dragon...TALON!" She blasted the demon with fire, but her fire resistance had begun to fade. It left her unprotected from the element. She madly thrashed about, trying to put out the flames.**_

Lucy woke, sitting up. She gasped and looked all around her. The only fire nearby had died down to a pile of glowing embers.

"What the hell?" She croaked. Looking around, all of her friends were still fast asleep. The sky was getting lighter, much to Lucy's relief. There's no way she'd be able to relax if it was still night time.

There was a movement in the corner of her eye. Lucy gasped and snapped her head to the left, expecting a person. There was nothing there but trees. Lucy groaned and rubbed her eyes.

 _It's just my imagination._ She told herself.

She could feel a dull pain throbbing along each of her forearms. She rubbed them, thinking back to similar nightmares she had after the war against The Spriggan 12. Most of them were about finding Brandish in her bathtub, but every once in a while she dream of E.N.D. In those nightmares she would fail to rewrite his book. Sometimes he would crumble into dust and other times she would hopelessly search all over for him, waking up with tears running down her cheeks. Luckily, she'd usually see Natsu later that day and she'd calm down.

For comfort Lucy looked over at Natsu. He laid on his back, one arm covered his eyes and the other was laid out across the ground. His chest rose and fell with every breath.

Lucy swallowed the lump in her throat and curled back into her sleeping bag.

 _I hate nightmares._

* * *

 **Lemon-Moon**

 **Thank you for the reviews.  
-Bacchus In Vines  
-Ashthenerdystargazer**

 **I admit I had to look up the definition of 'Slow burn'.  
I guess it's pretty obvious that I like slow burns too, It's nice for everything to happen in it's own time rather than right off the bat. I remember reading the end of Fairytail and being disappointed that NaLu was still up in the air... but to be honest Natsu's character didn't seem ready to settle down like the others. If they would have kissed, it would have seemed forced just because of the Manga ending rather than a smooth ending. I feel like his character still has a long way to go. **

**Have a good week!**


	11. What Happened That Night at Dean's

**What Happened That Night At Dean's...**

* * *

Gray could feel his mind slipping into unconsciousness. If he wouldn't have been so familiar with sleeping on the cold hard ground with rocks digging into his back, the sunken sofa that smelled like stale chips would have definitely been something to turn his nose up too. To his advantage he had been working from dusk to dawn installing sheet rock to the newly built town hall. That stuff was heavy. By the time he laid his head down on the pillow he knew he'd be out in no time.

He was hoping to beat Natsu to sleep so he wouldn't hear him snore. His friend tossed and turned on the opposite side of the sectional.

"My wings hurt!" Happy moaned, flapping them tenderly.

His voice brought Gray back from dozing off. He growled quietly.

"My back hurts." Natsu whined in a strained voice. Gray heard him slide off the couch and on to the floor with a soft thud.

He swung his legs left to right, Gray heard his bones crack.

"Maybe Lucy will rub it for you?" Happy quipped.

"Maybe Erza will rub your wings for you?" Natsu stretched his arms next.

"I'd rather Carla do it." Happy sighed.

Gray took a deep breath through his nose, silently begging everyone to shut up and go to bed.

He heard someone walk into the kitchen and flick the light on. Light flooded into the living room.

 _For fucks sake!_

Gray pulled at the pillow laying over his head to cover his eyes.

It wasn't like this back at home with Juvia, they would lay down together and she would be the first one to fall asleep. She didn't snore, sometimes she would accidentally squeeze him too tightly in her sleep. He'd wake up sore and it took him a while to figure out why. He missed having a soft, warm body snuggled up against him at night. He felt an urge to hear Juvia's voice...he might just call her if he didn't get to sleep soon...

"Hey Natsu?" Dean's voice echoed through the room.

Gray's eyes snapped open and narrowed.

 _What the fuck now?!_

Natsu, still laying flat on the floor tilted his head back to look at the towering man.

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry for being aggressive this afternoon, I shouldn't have dangled this living arrangment in front of your nose as I did."

"It's cool man." Natsu replied curtly.

Dean's mouth quivered, and he shifted his weight to his left.

"It's just... _Lucy_." His knees buckled a bit as he sighed.

"Lucy!" Happy exclaimed.

Gray groaned and rolled over on the couch, pulling his blanket overhead.

"What about her?" Natsu asked flatly.

"You may be blind to her beauty and charm...but I- I am drawn into it like a bee is drawn to sweet golden pollen overflowing on a plump pink rose."

"Are you hearing this?" Happy asked.

"She is my soulmate." Dean gushed. "It only makes sense, how else would she have happened to wander into this small forgotten village?"

"It was on fire."

"By fate, no less."

"By Joyans."

Dean sighed. "You need to open up your eyes and your heart my friend. Lucy is..." He held his hand against his heart.

Natsu rolled into a sitting position. "Great- I know. I also know she cares more about this quest than anything right now and doesn't care for any distractions."

"Quest?" Dean's hand slipped a bit.

 _Moron._

"Quest to see..." Gray mumbled. "More of Ishgar."

"I have always wanted to see more of Ishgar..." Dean chattered. "We could do it together."

"She's with us."

Dean stood up straighter. "She's wasting away with you guys, a woman needs love and attention. Have you noticed how perfectly shaped her hands are? I have...and her eyes! Her eyes make a strong man like me feel weak."

Dean's tone made Gray's stomach turn.

"You've never seen those eyes when she's mad!" Happy shuddered. "And her angry voice would give you nightmares."

Gray pictured wrapping a sheet of ice around Dean's mouth.

"Ugh, her voice..." Dean leaned forward as if in pain.

"Could you just zip it and let us sleep?" Gray growled.

Dean froze and glared at the back of Gray's head.

 _Fight me, I don't give a damn!_

Happy watched back and forth between Dean and Gray, bracing himself.

"You boys just don't understand fate and destiny."

"Ugh!' Gray groaned, shoving himself up to a sitting position.

Natsu was sitting on the floor, he gave Gray a quick glance. Gray knew that Natsu was reading the situation, wondering if he was going to start a fight. Gray shook his head no. Natsu relaxed a bit.

"Lucy needs a man like me, I know it...If she had a man back in Fiore then she would have no need to wander across Ishgar."

"She travels because she likes adventure." Natsu explained flatly. "You have no idea how much love she has back at home, more than enough."

"Not just family love," Dean stressed. "Romantic love."

Gray leaned forward and held his head in his hands. He figured it was warm enough to sleep outside, or maybe the girls would let them into their room.

Dean shook his head sadly. "A beautiful woman needs-."

"There is more to Lucy than her looks." Natsu said, repeating his point from earlier that day."

"I have no doubt." Dean said. He rubbed his hands together, deep in thought. "Lucy has gone too long in her life without a strong male influence...I must propose to her tomorrow, at the celebration."

"What!" They all said at the same time.

Laughter bubbled in Happy's throat. "He can't be serious!"

"Will you help me?" Dean asked Natsu and Gray. "I need it to be special, what's her favorite color?"

Gray huffed and pushed off the couch, pillow in hand.

"The color of Natsu's eyes!" Happy shouted, earning looks from from all three guys.

"I'm going to bed." Gray growled, moving to get around Dean.

"How can you sleep at a time like this, don't you at least care about the woman enough to help create the proposal of her dreams?"

Natsu stood and laughed to himself. "You really think she's thinking about marriage right now?"

"I care enough about Lucy that I'm not going to indulge in your vain fantasies." Gray spat.

Dean shook his head. "They're not fantasies-"

"What sane person would want to be engaged to a guy she just met?" Gray asked.

"You just don't see what I see or feel how I feel."

Gray snorted. "I guess not, now move or shut up and go to sleep."

Dean growled. "Screw this, it's still early. I'll go an propose now."

Gray leaned back to get a good look at Dean's face, to see stupidity thriving in it's natural habitat.

"Because that's an even better idea?!" Gray looked around Dean and saw Natsu slip by him.

 _Bastard's gonna ditch me?_

Gray shrugged past a frustrated Dean and turned the corner. Rushing towards him with a wild look in her eyes was...

"Lucy?!"

"Out of the way Ice breath." She growled, using both arms to cover her bare chest. Her hair spilled into her face carelessly.

Gray tried not to look, but he noticed how Natsu's pants hung awkwardly on her hips...and then it clicked.

Gray pushed back against the wall watching the travesty unfold. He was speechless. Gray stood by numbly as Dean's eyes wandered around Lucy's body hungrily.

"You came, came t-to see me?" He gulped.

"Yeah I did!" Lucy spat, hair went inside her mouth. "Puh! I have better things to do than get married, leave me the hell alone!"

Gray saw Happy standing on the couch, mouth wide open.

Dean stepped closer, hands extended.

Lucy narrowed her eyes and fumbled with her chest so she could hold out one hand to stop him. Lucy tried fruitlessly swing her long hair out of her face.

Dean quickly took her hand in his. "Lucy, you must have sensed my heart calling out to you." His eyes dropped again, taking their time to find her eyes. "I know there's a spark between us, let's ignite it..tonight."

"Not a chance, I don't care about you." Lucy yanked her hand back.

"Who do you care about then...Natsu?"

Lucy's eyebrows raised, unsure of what to say. Then she raked her hair back with the free hand. "Yeah."

Gray recognized Natsu's mannerisms, but the way he was going wasn't helping the way Dean gaped at her. Her body was stretched in a very indisposed manner, one over used in popular modeling magazines.

"I uh..." Dean drooled. "I get it, he's strong too...you have a- a history, but *ahem- darling he could never care for you as deeply as I do."

Lucy's hand fell back to her side as she glared at Dean. "That's bullshit."

A strangled noise escaped Gray's throat.

"Please." Dean stepped closer with hunger in his eyes. "Let me show you what love feels like." Dean closed the gap between them and nearly got his arms wrapped completely around Lucy's shoulders. He tilted his head to left and parted his lips.

"Gah!" Lucy's voice melted into Natsu's as he flailed his arms.

 _ **Woosh!**_

A wave of flames shot from Natsu's hands in surprise.

Laughter escaped Gray's lungs in a high squeal.

"Ahhh!" Dean screamed, jumping back in surprise. He saw Natsu covering his mouth defensively. Dean screamed again. " **Ahhhhhhh**!"

"Moron!" Natsu spat. He took a step back and shuddered. "You tried to kiss me!"

"You!" Dean roared. "Where's Lucy?!"

"Blech!" Natsu fell backwards.

Gray gaped at Dean's face, devoid of eyebrows...

Dean shook with anger and confusion, he reached his hand up to touch his forehead. "Ugh! Get out, now!"

-0-

The frustration of still being awake this late at night had vanished with Dean's eyebrows. He chuckled again, helplessly as the trio hurried through the street to Mabel's.

Natsu scowled.

"Lucy is going to be so mad." Happy mumbled.

"Just don't mention it." Natsu said, kicking a rock across the street.

Gray snorted and then let out another wave of laughter.

Natsu picked up his pace.

"I'm sorry!" Gray puffed. "I won't say 'nothin about it."

"Good." Natsu muttered. "Last thing I want is her mad at me, she's always mad at me for something."

"Well, quit acting with half a brain." Gray suggested.

"I can't help it.." Natsu sighed. "I just wanted that dumbass to leave her alone."

"Yeah, I get it...the guy is piece of work."

"But flashing him with Lucy's huge boobs was a mistake." Happy told him. "Now he'll never get her off his mind."

"He has a point." Gray smirked.

"I covered everything up." Natsu countered.

"You didn't leave much to the imagination." Happy said.

Natsu groaned. "I'll explain the situation if it comes up, she'll understand..."

Gray bit his tongue, knowing full well that Lucy was going to completely lose her shit when she found out about this...

* * *

 **Had a bit of writer's block, so I wrote this. :)**


	12. Grandforks, Bellum

Lucy stood in front of the bathroom mirror and examined her body. They had recently checked in at the place Erza had picked out in advance. It was a smaller room than they were used to, only two beds instead of three. The walls were ancient looking wood panels that had soaked up a lot of cigarette smoke over the years. It bothered her at first, but eventually her nose went blind to the stench. They had barely gotten to their rooms after an hour of answering questions at the front desk. The owner was very uptight about his stinky little hotel, they even had to pay extra for 'pets'.

Looking in the mirror, Lucy noticed her ribs had become more pronounced, even her face seemed a bit thinner. They had walked quite a bit and her diet was was incredibly lean, so it made sense. It still worried her to be losing so much weight. It just meant she'd gain a bunch when they finally got back, stopped walking for fourteen hours a day and had more food options.

Lucy took a deep breath and walked away from her reflection, not wanting to add her health to the worry pile.

"These towels are so scratchy." She complained, adjusting the cloth. She paused at the door...Now aware that the guys had come into their room. She found Natsu and locked eyes with him for a moment. Lucy was so caught up with having his attention that she forgot about not being dressed for a moment.

"We're ready to start planning the final leg of our quest." Erza told her without looking up from a map spread out on the desk.

Lucy gave a small smile as she walked by, an attempt to show goodwill. He didn't return the smile, instead he blinked and looked away. Hurt, Lucy hurried to grab her change of clothes.

"We're only a train ride away from the Inez Mountain Range." Gray spoke, standing next to Erza.

"Or a two day hike." Natsu frowned. He sat on the bed Erza had claimed. His voice made her body stiffen up. He had hardly spoken all day.

"No way!" Happy whined. "I'm tired of walking."

In a tired voice Natsu responded "You don't walk, Lucy carried you the whole way."

She managed to close the door quietly behind her, before she stumbled over to sit on the seat of the toilet. She was bent over her knees, head in hand.

 _It's just not fair. It shouldn't be like this. I blew it._ Lucy squeezed her hair in her hand, the pain wasn't enough to pull herself out of the funk she was in. _Did I over react? No way. Maybe a bit? I don't know._

She replayed her reaction over and over again in her head. Analyzing every move and word that she could remember. One second she would feel justified at every turn, then the next she wasn't too sure.

 _I'm pushing him away..._

Lucy chocked back a sob, and then sat up. She looked to the door, worried they might have heard her. When she felt safe Lucy reached over and turned on the sink.

Not wanting to have to walk back out with a red face from her panic attack, Lucy stood up and took a couple deep breaths. Her progress was shoved aside by a hot flash of shame. Shame for being a mere twelve feet away from her friends, trying and failing to get a grip.

Her hand shot out for her clothes that had been tossed to the counter on the way down. She was dry enough to slide on an ankle length black skirt and thigh high stockings. It had been too long since she'd been able to wear one, they weren't the most comfortable for traveling. Especially on hot days. Mabel had suggested that they dress modestly in Bellum and gave them a few more articles of clothing. Lucy put her hiking boots over the stockings and slipped on a simple blue blouse with a bow on the front. She stood for a second, debating on whether or not to fix her hair. The usual drive to look her best had escaped her for the evening.

 _No._ She told herself firmly. _You're not going to let what's going on affect your appearance._ _You're not that far gone this time!_

Lucy dried her hair with the Inn's hair dryer and then took care to make sure her hair was perfectly tied back into two low ponytails, with twin strands of hair running down the sides of her face. After putting on some light makeup, She checked herself out in the mirror.

"Looking good." She winked at herself, trying to improve her mood. She had learned that pick-me-up trick from a therapist back in Magnolia the year that Fairy Tail had disbanded. Her mental health had plunged more and more as each of her friends scattered to the wind.

She never told a soul about her public intoxication charges when one night she had downed an entire bottle of wine and the remnants of a bottle of liquor Cana had left behind. The wine was a gift from Jason for being a top three candidate for Sorcerer Weekly. Lucy had applied about two months in and the good news thrilled her. A new start! The jubilation caused her to crash hard. She didn't want to be a part of a modeling company, it was the guild she wanted.

The bottle of wine had a note attached that encouraged her to share a glass with her closest friends. After waking up in jail, Lucy had no recollection of what happened that night. She heard from a witness that she had tried to start a fight, using her broken key to summon Aquarius. For that she was grateful that the top of the key was at the ready. She'd never hear the end of it if any of the other spirits were summoned. The worse part was the relief Lucy found in being under the influence. For the first time in months she was too oblivious to remember what had been keeping her down.

Leading up to that travesty were the weeks she had cried herself to sleep, struggling to find the will to get up and function. She kept it together for a while, hopeful that Natsu would return. After a month it finally sunk in he would go through with being gone a whole year. She didn't leave her apartment, slowly starving herself when her food supply had become scarce. She was too afraid that someone would see her as she was, eyes swollen with dark circles. So she stayed inside for a while.

For her public intoxication, the court had ordered a fine of Eighty jewel and a month of AA meetings. From there she had finally begun to accept that she was depressed and let her team leader schedule an appointment with a therapist. She learned healthy coping mechanisms to replace the bad ones she had picked up. Instead of staying in bed all day Lucy would go for walks or to the library for research on the story that would later earn her an award. Instead of starving herself Lucy bought a bunch of snacks to eat for the times she couldn't get up to cook. The therapist drilled into Lucy that it was okay to grieve for her scattered friends, but letting herself go would only make matters worse. Her will to go on was slowly, but surely built back from the ground up. Starting with looking in the mirror each morning and reminding herself that she mattered, even if only to herself.

The therapist also taught Lucy to use her inner voice for motivating herself, to keep her mind focused on what was important. As for harming herself, Lucy hadn't been able to find an alternative to that. Sometimes she became so lost in her thoughts that digging her nails into her skin or pulling hair were the only ways to get back to her right mind. If one looked close enough to her arms they's see the tiny crescents that ran up her forearm.

After Paul had filled the girls in on what had gone down Lucy was incredibly pissed off, which she believed was completely understandable. It was no small thing, that was her body and her dignity at stake. However, she was fairly quick to acknowledge that her relationship with Natsu trumped this incident. She had apologized to him the first chance given that morning.

 _ **"I'm sorry for being so standoffish earlier." Lucy had told Natsu earnestly as they left their campsite. "I just needed time to cool off."**_

 _ **His hands were pushed down into his pockets, he had yet to look at her.**_

 _ **"I know." He replied, paying more attention to the ground.**_

 _ **Lucy kept pace with him, hoping for a way to thin the air that was thick with tension.**_

 _ **"I'm sorry that Dean almost kissed you..."**_

 _ **She heard Gray chuckle.**_

 _ **Lucy groaned internally, thinking her friends would be too distracted to listen in.**  
_ She kept the rest of what she wanted to tell Natsu to herself, deciding to save it for later when they had some privacy.

If verbally forgiving him had made any progress, it wasn't very apparent. She had thought their relationship was going somewhere. Now she could feel it slipping through her fingers. She squeezed her hands into tight fists.

 _So what. This is why you need to focus on yourself. Get stronger. Finish the quest and buy back your childhood home. Write more books, maybe call up Jason for your job back._

"Get. A. Grip." She growled to herself under the cover of running water.

Lucy turned on her feet and walked out the bathroom door before she could think twice about it.

"Finally." Happy sighed.

"I didn't take that long." Lucy said, poking his gut playfully.

She sat down on the bed and faced her friends. Natsu leaned back on Erza's head board opposite of her, arms folded against his chest.

 _Natsu always sits on my bed..._

"What are we talking about?" Lucy said quickly, trying to distract her mind.

"We were hoping to use Grandpa Crux for more information." Wendy said, stroking Carla's fur.

"Awesome!" She said enthusiastically.

Lucy dutifully reached for her keys and picked out the Southern Cross's. She waved her hand and chanted. "Open, Gate of the Southern Cross-Crux!"

The air around them swirled like a mini tornado and in the middle of the vortex her celestial spirit appeared. He sat indian style, bowing his head as he slept.

"Grandpa Crux?" Lucy called, feeling a swell of affection for the old cross. "What can you tell us about The Diamond of the Depths?"

They all leaned in expectantly, waiting for him to speak. He snored soundly, mumbling in his sleep.

Erza watched the spirit with great intrigue. "Are you sure he's-"

" **Yahoo**!" The celestal spirit roared.

Lucy grinned, looking up at him.

"According to Eastern Lore, The Diamond of the Depths is an enchanted diamond believed to contain the tortured soul of a sea witch. The sea witch was supposedly trapped within by the use of forbidden magic. "

"We know that." Natsu pressed. "But where is the diamond?"

"Natsu..." Lucy said, trying not to nag. "He's doing us a favor you know?"

Natsu looked down. "Do you know where the diamond is?" He asked in a more respectful tone.

"I cannot say for certain, however most wizards have gone missing more exponentially around Mount Saint Ghalahad. The mountain is a part of the Grand Inez Mountain Range, it's the third tallest peak."

"What town is the mountain in?" Erza asked.

"The town of Ghalahad." He answered.

"Makes sense." Erza murmured, marking the town on the map.

"And what about the treasure?" Natsu asked next.

"According to several legends the treasure belonged to a Pirate Captain who had somehow lost possession of it. Some say it was given in exchange for a woman and other legends say it was stolen. The treasure is believed to be stored under the the same mountain as The Diamond of the Depths."

"What kind of treasure?" Happy asked hungrily.

"According to legend, the hoard of treasure contains precious items and artifacts from all around The Black Sea. Precious jewels and jewelry belonging to royalty as well as gold and silver coins."

"You keep saying 'according to legend'." Gray pointed out. "Do you know anything for certain?"

"The true knowledge regarding the Diamond of The Depths and the treasure is undetermined and left up to speculation. The items are shrouded in mystery and legend."

"I heard that the original owner of the treasure was a Dragon?" Natsu spoke.

"In some versions of the legend surrounding the treasure, it is said to have belonged to a dragon."

Something danced at the edge of Lucy's mind, Just recently they had that confrontation with the Stone Giants Guild... Cody had mentioned a certain pirate.

"Do you know the name of the Pirate?" Wendy asked.

"The given name of the pirate is not attached to the legends."

Lucy snapped her fingers. "What do you know about Captain Yuros?"

"Captain Yuros, known as 'The Sea Dragon' was an infamous pirate who mainly sailed around the Narrow sea and Obsidian sea. He was known for traveling with seven other ships that were used to transport gold and other riches stolen from coastal villages and passing vessels. Key events are the Battle at Charlotte and the creation of the Three Swords of Destiny."

"This is Cody's ancestor!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Who?" Natsu asked.

"The kid from the Stone Giants Guild, you fought him at the Lake."

Natsu blinked, having no recollection of this.

Lucy waited for it to click.

Gray sighed. "His memory is useless, I remember the guy."

"Me too." Erza smiled. "He was a decent swordsman."

"Yeah," Lucy said. "He was able to wield two of the three swords."

"You think it's the same Captain?" Wendy asked.

"Dylan, Mabel's son mentioned the battle of Charlotte the other night." Erza pointed out.

"Yeah," Gray nodded. "But he was speaking in regards to stories centered around the Book of Zeref."

"What would The Book of Zeref have to do with The Battle of Charlotte?" Erza wondered aloud.

"There is speculation that the Battle of Charlotte was instigated by a powerful demon. One version of the story tells that the entire island was hopelessly possessed by a demon, in order to cleanse the island Captain Yuros slaughtered the entire population."

"No!" Wendy cried out, matching everyone's horror.

"What a..." Gray began, lost for words.

"What of other version's?" Erza asked.

"Other version's say the Battle of Charlotte was territory war, that the island was in the middle of an important waterway necessary for importing goods. Captain Yuro wanted to use the island as a port, but the inhabitants of the island refused to allow vessels to stop. One less popular version tells that Captain Yuros slaughtered the entire village for protecting the demon."

"Was the demon from the book of Zeref?" Gray asked.

"That is not for certain." Grandpa Crux answered.

"So what is it that guards the treasure?" Wendy asked, bracing herself for the answer.

"According to popular legend the treasure is guarded by a dragon, some say the ghost of The Pirate Captain and some say it is guarded by the sea witch. There is also a theory that the Mountain is thoroughly booby trapped to keep away outsiders."

"We've been warned." Erza murmured. "That's simple, I'll just send some projectiles ahead of us as we make our way through the cavern. That way we trigger any traps ahead of time."

"Thanks Grandpa Crux." Lucy said warmly. The Spirit had fallen asleep and with a quick motion with her hands, his gate was closed.

"Alright," Erza leaned over her map. "Our destination is the city of Ghalahad."

"Cool," Gray said, tracing the train path from Grand Forks to Ghalahad. "That should just be a five to six hour ride."

"Yay..." Natsu cheered half-heartedly.

Gray leaned backwards to stretch. "It'll be the last ride between here and the treasure, and it beats walking."

"Walking is good for ya." Natsu countered. "Puking up all your insides isn't."

"Shh, ladies." Erza stood and reached over for her toiletries bag. "We're going to get plenty of both...We're almost there." Erza sang the last few words of her sentence.

"I've got you covered Natsu." Wendy assured him. "My spells have gotten stronger."

Natsu nodded, still obviously unenthusiastic about riding on a train.

"I'm going to relax," Erza said, heading towards the shower.

Wendy faced the guy's direction, tugging at her skirt nervously. "Would you mind if I used the shower in your room?"

"Yeah that's fine." Gray answered, holding out the room key. "Hope there's hot water left, Natsu turns it all the way up."

Wendy took the key from his hand. "Thanks."

"It's an inn." Natsu said, pushing himself off the bed. "They won't run out of hot water."

The words to ask where he was going stuck to Lucy's tounge, she busily attached her celestial keys to her hip.

"Where are you going?" Gray asked, almost for her.

Natsu continued walking to the door that Wendy had left open for him.

"I dunno, never been to Bellum before." He shut the door behind him.

"Rude." Gray muttered.

"What crawled up him?" Carla asked.

"He's probably still wounded from Lucy snapping at him." Happy guessed

"I don't know why." Gray said bemused. "She apologized for everything, even Dean kissing him."

"So he did kiss Natsu?" Carla asked.

"Right on the lips." Happy confirmed loudly. He had moved over to sit near Carla.

Lucy looked at Gray in horror.

He threw his head back and laughed. "No, he didn't-Hahaha- That would have made it even funnier though. Talk about a plan backfiring!"

"Ugh." Lucy moaned, covering her eyes with her hands.

"I'm sorry." Gray sighed. "I don't think it's funny where you're involved."

"I'm just ready to put it behind us." Lucy admitted, dragging her hands down her face before finally dropping them in her lap.

Gray stood awkwardly at the door, trying to swallow back his amusement.

Lucy heard him struggle to hold back a laugh. She felt her will crumble and ended up cracking a smile.

"Are you laughing?" Happy asked.

"A bit." Lucy admitted, kicking her feet.

The more Gray laughed the more Lucy could see the humor in it. Natsu's big idea blowing up in his face...same as Dean, apparently.

"I'm gonna walk around town, are you coming?" Gray invited.

Lucy hesitated, it was rare for her and Gray to be by themselves. If Juvia heard about it then she'd surely give Lucy grief. The desire to leave the hotel room just wasn't in Lucy. Moping around sounded more appealing.

 _Get up._

Lucy stood up and fixed her skirt. "Okay, I'd like to find a snack that isn't fish." She chirped.

"Coming?" Gray asked the two exceeds.

"Nah." Happy called back. "Carla and I are going to chill."

"Okay." Lucy called over her shoulder.

"Chill?" Gray repeated as they walked down the stairs.

"Hey, he's trying have game." Lucy defended him.

Gray smirked.

The air smelled of rain, despite the scattered patches of blue sky. There must have been a few storms, there were plenty of puddles to step in as the two headed left. Based on the old style buildings, Lucy felt like she had traveled back in time. The people added to the old style as well, not a single woman wore pants nor did they wear skirts that went higher than their ankles. Also all the women either had their hair tied up in a tight bun or tied back in a braid. The men wore slacks and button up shirts.

Gray and Lucy stood out like a sore thumb.

"I should not have worn this shirt." Gray mumbled.

Lucy looked over. He was wearing a gray t-shirt with a white skull.

"It's too late now." Lucy shrugged, tugging at her own shirt.

"Good Evening." An older man greeted them. His gray hair was neatly trimmed and had a mustache that was shaped to be pointy.

"Good evening." Lucy said back, trying to walk around him.

"We are about to close in an hour, but perhaps you would like to buy something for your lovely lady?"

"My lovely lady isn't here." Gray said over his shoulder.

"Wait." Lucy held her hand out. "Maybe you could browse to get an idea for Juvia."

"I don't have enough money to be thinking about that." Gray stopped and peered into the window. The place did look pretty expensive.

"You won't be pressured to buy, sir." The owner assured him.

Lucy's eyes ran over the displays that turned left to right for the light to catch every angle.

"I guess." Gray muttured.

The owner held the door open and the two of them went their own ways for a bit. Heart shaped ruby earings caught Lucy's eye. She remembered having a pair like them once. Not rubies, but they were red.

 _I wonder what I did with those?_

Every time Lucy saw something she liked, the price convinced her otherwise.

"That's a lot of zeros." She mumbled to herself.

"Ready to go?" Gray asked, appearing at her side.

Lucy turned to look at him. "You already looked at everything?"

He shrugged.

"What, come on." Lucy ran her eyes through the jewelry display's until she found the rings. "Over here."

Lucy's knowledge of engagement rings was on the same level as Gray, but she could still give an opinion.

"Do you know Juvia's favorite color?"

"Dark Blue." He answered quickly.

Lucy smiled. "Make's sense, she's always wearing blue."

"I know girls are all about diamonds." Gray murmured, tapping his finger on the glass above a silver ring with a glittering saphire in the middle. "But I want to give her something like that."

Based on how low his voice was, Lucy could tell how awkward he felt about the subject. Thinking back, Gray rarely showed a mushy side. He used to be so much more reserved. Moreover, She felt excited for Juvia. Gray was actually giving a lot of thought into their future.

Lucy looked closer. The band was polished silver with a deep blue gemstone in the middle. She looked up and made eye contact with the sharply dressed woman behind the counter.

"Miss?" The woman raised her head attentively, the black bun on top of her head was wound so tight it didn't even shake as she made her way over.

"Could we check out a ring."

"Uh." The woman looked to the owner for direction, he was busy bringing in guests. "...Sure, which item?"

"Number One Twenty-two." Lucy replied.

The woman opened the back of the case and pulled out the ring. Lucy took it from her carefully and raised it to Gray's face.

"What are you doing?" Gray asked, leaning backwards.

Lucy looked between the stone and Gray. "It matches your eyes."

"So what?"

Lucy turned the ring to catch the light. "She might like that."

"Are you done?" The woman asked, reaching out for the ring.

Lucy frowned, not liking the woman's tone. "Yeah." She handed it back.

"Anything else?"

Lucy turned to leave. "No that's all."

"Have a good evening." The owner called out as they exited.

"Thanks." Gray said back.

They made it a few feet down the sidewalk before Lucy spoke. "We must look poor or something."

"Speak for yourself." Gray shot back.

Lucy sighed. "I must look poor or something." She corrected for Gray's sake.

"Nah, you're right...we just look different. Made her nervous."

Lucy exhaled her frustration, reminding herself that they weren't in Magnolia.

"I hope it doesn't rain a lot the next leg of the trip." Gray said.

"It probably will, just to spite us."

"Sucks."

 **Beep, beep, beep!** Gray's communication lacrima went off in his pocket.

 _Great,_ Lucy thought. _Now I'm gonna be a third wheel._ She wondered if it'd be possible to make an excuse to leave. Gray's shortest phone call with Juvia was probably two and a half hours.

"Hey babe." Gray answered.

The faint sound of a man's hearty laugh echoed over to Lucy.

"Uh, who's this?" Gray snarled, stopping in his tracks.

Lucy watched his expression darken and then spring back to one of surprise. "How did you get a hold of Juvia's C.L.?"

Lucy waited patiently for Gray to explain what was going on.

"When did you get back...Oh...yeah, I got a minute."

Lucy caught Gray's gaze and raised her eyebrows, communicating her curiosity.

"It's Gildarts."

"Gildarts?" Lucy repeated, picturing the middle aged wizard in her mind.

Gray leaned against the wall, listening intently. "No he's not around me, I have no idea...We're in Bellum and he wandered off without us. I have no clue, Natsu does what he wants."

Lucy sighed and looked around them, the sun was still high enough in the sky. She could she its bright rays coming through the gray clouds.

"I'm not sure." Gray told Gildarts. "You have more experience with century quests than I do..sir. Plus there's gonna be a bunch to do with sorting the treasure and well, we gotta get it home first too."

Why was Gildarts concerned with their quest? Lucy wondered.

"I'm listening...oh...Makarov's idea?...Hell yeah...What's the quest?...Hmm...I'm down, you know Natsu would be too. I'll tell you Sir, this is a big deal. Alright. Where's Juvia? Okay, bye."

Lucy held her breath, waiting for Gray to spill. He grinned and ran his hand through his hair. "We need to find Natsu."

"What did Gildarts want?" Lucy asked. They turned back towards the Inn.

Gray ignored her, he stood with his hands at his side looking up and down the streets. Lucy shook her head, wondering why he was always so keen on keeping things from her.

"Where did everyone go?" Gray asked.

Lucy swept the streets with her gaze, sure enough they were the only ones on the street. She felt a drop of water hit her arm.

"They probably wanted to get out of the rain." Lucy suggested.

"Maybe." Gray murmured, continuing to walk down the street.

"But, what did Gildarts want?"

Gray smiled. "You'll hear when I tell Natsu."

"Come on." Lucy sighed.

"Trust me, enjoy the peace and quiet while you can."

Lucy bit her cheek to keep from being annoying.

"This ought to pull Natsu out of his sour mood."

"You've noticed too?" Lucy asked.

Gray laughed to himself. "Yeah, he's moody as hell...and he usually only ever has like-three moods. Hungry, happy, or...restless."

"Has he mentioned anything about what happened to you-since I confronted him about it?"

"Uh..no."

"Honest?"

"Yeah, I've spent about as much time alone with him as you have."

"Right."

Gray tugged at the hem of his shirt, Lucy sensed he had more to say but she let it go. She thought of another question.

"Hey Gray...?" Lucy twisted her fingers and looked down at nothing in particular.

"Hm?"

"Was I...too harsh?"

Gray was quiet, probably running the whole ordeal in his head again. "You...acted about how I'd expect."

"Harsh or...?"

"Upset." He answered.

"Well, like-Did I overreact?"

"Uh..." Gray thought hard. "Maybe a bit when you grabbed his shirt."

She then heard him chuckle darkly.

Lucy took in a deep breath of cool air and exhaled.

 _Don't get upset, this is what you wanted to hear._

"Lucy," Gray said in a serious tone. "Don't worry about it."

"But he's upset."

"You know, I've punched him in the face before over smaller things. He looked at me wrong or something. We just fight it out and everyone's all the better for it."

"That's not my style." Lucy shivered.

"I bet ya a million jewel that's what's wrong, he's used to punching it out after something like this. He's just sitting on stored energy."

Lucy felt a smile playing at the corner of her mouth. "So I should challenge him to a fight?"

Gray rubbed his hands together. "Yes."

Lucy laughed nervously. "I'm fire proof now, He can't burn me...he could still knock me out."

"He wouldn't." Gray assured her. "Please, do this."

"Ahhhhhh." Lucy groaned. "Okay."

Gray's smirking intensified.

Lucy ran a game play in her head, she decided to start with Capricorn to wear Natsu down and then if he used Fire Dragon Slayer Magic she would use Scorpio. She had enough confidence that she'd be able to hold her own, but there was no way she'd beat him if he went all out. Even if she used Urano Metria, which she wouldn't.

They hurried back to the hotel, Lucy followed Gray to the entryway of his shared room and leaned against the doorway to wait.

"Yo, flamebrain?" Gray called. They looked around the room, which was empty. Gray peeked into the bathroom, which was an unlikely place since the door was open and the light was off.

Gray walked back out. "Guess he's with Erza."

Lucy turned and went to her room, she opened the door and it seemed to be just as empty as the Boy's room. The room looked a bit disarrayed, like they left in a hurry. Just for assurance she checked the bathroom. "The mirror is still steamy." Lucy pointed out.

"So they couldn't have been gone long..." Gray concluded. "Well, let's go check downstairs."

"Surely they wouldn't go eat dinner without saying something to us." Lucy walked a little farther ahead of Gray. They hurried down the steps and looked around the Lobby. Besides the secretary and a few guests, the lobby was devoid of any familiar faces.

"It's too early." Gray pointed out.

"Right. So what do we do?"

"I guess, let's go walk around. Maybe we'll run into them or they'll be back by the time we return."

"Okay." Lucy stretched her arms out making her joints pop. "Darn, I was really looking forward to his reaction after I challenge him to a fight."

Gray laughed to himself. "Hm, maybe I should tell him about what Gildarts said afterwards? That way it won't affect him. Or better yet, raise the stakes."

Lucy felt a bad feeling roll in like a storm. "What do you mean raise the stakes?"

They walked back out. The clouds had become thicker up above, it would surely rain soon.

"I'll tell him that I spoke to Gildarts and the only way I'll tell him what was said is if he defeats you."

Lucy stopped in her tracks. "There won't be enough of me left for a funeral!"

Gray shrugged.

"Please don't sign my death certificate like that."

"It's probably the only way he'll take this fight seriously-"

His comment stole the amusement from her body. "Thanks Gray. It was your idea you know." Lucy wrapped her arms around her chest for comfort.

"Wait. I just mean that-"

"-I'm not much of a challenge?"

She heard Gray curse under his breath. "Could you stop being emotional for one second?" Gray asked flatly.

Lucy clamped her jaw shut and waited for Gray to finish talking. He was quiet for a moment and Lucy wasn't looking at him to read his expression.

"You're not on the same level as me and Erza."

 _I know this._

"I'm not talking about magic abilities, I'm talking about...you know...on a level of rivalry...way, I don't know..."

Lucy still felt like he was implying she wasn't much of a challenge. She wasn't naive. It was obvious he had seriously leveled up after defeating Acnologia. Natsu and Gray were both climbing up the ranks, soon they'd be able to take on Laxus or even Erza. Lucy had a longer way to go. She knew that, Capricorn wouldn't let her forget anyway.

"Lucy, are you hearing me?" Gray's voice cut through her reverie.

"What?" Lucy asked, having zoned him out by accident.

Gray looked flushed, more pale than usual.

"What'd you say?" Lucy asked, based on his appearance it wasn't something easy for him to say. "I'm sorry."

"That store looks cool?" He pointed at a building that simply named 'Weapons'.

"You were talking about how Natsu and I weren't rivals like the rest of you?"

Gray went in the direction of 'Weapons'.

Lucy watched the back of his head as he did his best to avoid her questions.

 _He's just trying to backtrack. It's clear enough to me._

Lucy stepped forward to follow Gray into the store, not wanting to appear hurt.

They checked out a handful of other stores. Some, like 'Weapons' were fairly interesting to look at. One long blade looked so cool that Lucy was tempted to ask Erza for lessons just so she could wield it. The price yet again convinced her otherwise. She watched Gray pick up several weapons and study its characteristics. She'd hear him try to memorize the name too. It was neat to see him so engaged with that. She waited patiently for him to finish.

She thought a dress store would be fun to go into. However, the dresses were all plain and modest. The opposite of Lucy's style. She wasn't in there long. They also found a store that sold hiking gear. Lucy found a decent water canteen on sale and bought it for Natsu. He had left his behind at the lake in Iceburg by mistake. He shared with Lucy since then.

Finally they stopped at the grocery store to purchase snacks for the road. Lucy noticed his snacks were mostly junk food. She thought about it and put back a few granola bars in exchange for a couple snack-sized bags of chips.

"I've never seen you eat chips before." Gray commented over her shoulder.

Lucy felt her face heat up. "Yeah, I uh- I've been losing a lot of weight. I kinda need it."

"I miss food back at the guildhall." Gray reminisced.

Lucy had the taste for a burger and fries with ice cold tea. She shook her head. "We are all going to be sick when we start eating regular food again."

"Probably."

They paid for their food and headed out. The streets were wet from a brief shower that had occured while they were shopping.

"There's more people out now." Lucy commented.

"I noticed, that was pretty weird anyway."

Lucy shrugged. Things were bound to be a bit weird in another country.

"Alright." Gray clapped his hands once. "Surely the group is back at the Inn."

"Good." Lucy chirped. "I'm ready to get this fight over with so you'll tell us the news."

Gray chuckled.

"What?" Lucy sighed.

"You two can't fight in town."

Lucy tilted her head. "Yeah, I suppose so. You're really okay with sitting on this information long enough to be a safe distance out of town?"

She heard a slow growl coming from Gray's throat. "It's going to give me heart burn."

"Haha."

The walk back to the inn was longer than it seemed, but Lucy was enjoying herself. Gray was always so calm and collected, whereas the rest of them were fairly bubbly. They walked in comfortable silence the rest of the way back. Lucy tried not to return the weird stares and glances they were receiving from the locals. By the time they walked through the lobby doors it was decided she would change her blouse. They parted ways, going into each of their own rooms.

She knew it was empty before even stepping foot inside. She also noticed that a few things were different. Her bag of clothes sat neatly on her hotel bed, when she had left them on the floor. She quickly went over to it and looked inside.

Everything was folded, but not the way she folded them.

 _Maybe I did fold them that way? I have been sort of out of my mind today..._

She dropped the bag back on the bed. Everything seemed neater than she left it. The bed was made tightly.

 **Creeeeak!**

Lucy felt the hair on the back of her neck stand. Something wasn't right. She turned around into a circle, feeling a weird pressence.

"Lucy, did-"

Lucy gasped. Turning to face the door.

Gray watched her with wide eyes. She put her hand over her racing heart.

"What is it?" He asked lowly.

Lucy swallowed the lump in her throat. "I just have a bad feeling."

"Me too, someone's been messing with my things."

"I don't remember hearing anything about a maid service."

"They didn't, but that would explain why it's so clean."

The anxiousness rose in Lucy's stomach.

"They've been gone a long time." Lucy commented.

Gray nodded. "Something may be going on, but whatever it is isn't too serious."

Lucy already knew where he was going with that. "We'd know if a fight broke out."

"Exactly."

"Well, maybe we could go get something small to eat." Lucy tried. "I'm starving."

Gray exhaled and turned to go back out the door. "Yeah, let's go down the street."

-0-

Lucy and Gray decided to get a bowl of soup and a basket of bread sticks, figuring it was like an appetizer anyway.

"So," Lucy began. "Do you think we have enough information to move forward with?"

Gray tilted his head back and finished chewing his bite. "...To move forward, yes. We could always use more. I'd like to know more about this mountain."

"We need to make a list of the questions we have," Lucy suggested. "It's hard to remember the good questions when Crux is there."

Gray nodded, dipping his bread back in the tomato soup.

The waitress walked behind Gray and slid her hand on his shoulder. Her chocolate brown hair brushed his shoulders as she leaned near to him. "How the food?" She asked him.

Gray's eyes turned cold and he shrugged her off. "It's great."

"Excellent" She grinned prettily. Gray's rejection hardly phased her.

"Could I-" Lucy tried to ask for napkins but the waitress spun away.

Gray looked up at the ceiling for a brief moment. "Ginger." He called her name and she spun back around.

"Yes honey?"

Gray kept his expression straight and gestured towards Lucy.

"Could I have some more napkins please?" She spoke.

Ginger pulled napkins out of her apron and slapped them down.

"Thanks." Lucy said to Ginger's quickly retreating back. "I've had about enough of the hospitality here." She muttered.

Gray was staring into his soup like it was looking back at him.

Lucy took another bite of her own potato soup. The uneasiness had let up a bit, but she was still fairly anxious. She felt more stares, but looking up she noticed they were all aimed at Gray.

 _That's why he's looking at his soup._ Lucy smirked. She knew what it was like to have all eyes on her. It was mostly females in the restaurant so it was like a little break from attention. Still, she didn't like to see her friend so bothered.

"So what was Juvia doing when Gildarts called?"

Gray perked up a bit at the mention of his girlfriend. "She left her C.L. for Gildarts to use while she was out on a mission."

"Wow." Lucy said. "Is she going to be back soon?"

"He assured me it was a short mission."

"You two sure have kept busy going on missions this last year."

"Yeah. Which is why I'm ready to have enough jewel to go around. That way we can focus on other things."

"You already have a house at least."

"It's not paid off." Gray mumbled. "We have about three years worth of payments left."

"It's something, better than an apartment."

"I'm sure your apartment is nicer than this place anyway."

Lucy shrugged. "In three years it will be yours though."

"True," She saw Gray's eyes soften a bit. "We're going to fix it up together. Juvia's taking some classes right now."

Lucy smiled. She thought back to the Heartfilia Estate. The walls in the east wing had a hole knocked in them from a fight. That would need to be taken care of, unless the current owners had already done so.

"Well," She said. "At least you've got sheet rock installation under your belt."

"Yeah, it'll come in handy when we build on to it."

She nodded slowly, scraping up the last bite of her soup.

She didn't want to leave Gray alone with all the she wolves, but her bladder was giving it's last call.

"I'll be right back." Lucy stood and headed to the ladies room.

When she walked back to the table Gray had the waitress's wrist in his hand. He was pulling her off of him.

"What's the big idea?" Ginger asked, rubbing her wrist.

Lucy hurried back to the table.

 _I was gone for three minutes!_ Lucy felt like had stepped into Juvia's shoes, glaring at some floozy who seemingly had the hots for her man.

"It's kinda rude to just put your hands all over a guy." Gray stated coldly.

"I was just being friendly." Ginger snapped.

"Too friendly." Lucy corrected, sitting back down.

"It's not like I was coming on to you. I wouldn't disrespect your girlfriend like that."

Gray slapped enough coins on the table to cover their appetizer and stood up. Lucy looked up at him, a little dismayed to leave the remainder of the food behind. She took a few more sips of her tea before standing up as well.

Ginger frowned and left.

Lucy grabbed a breadstick and followed Gray out the door.

"She was so coming on to you." Lucy muttered. She nibbled on the bread stick and happened to make eye contact with a man sitting on a bench. He watched her with the bread stick in her mouth and looked away with a smirk. Lucy frowned and pulled pieces off to eat from then on out.

 _Dirty ass old man._

Lucy looked left and saw a group of people walking along with some uniformed officers.

"Gray!" Lucy choked.

Gray turned to see what had sparked her attention. "Is that-"

"Come on!" Lucy and Gray ran down to where the rest of her friends were gathered.

Erza had her blade drawn and Lucy could see Natsu watching a man being escorted into the small jailhouse. Wendy stood with Carla in her arms.

"Lucy!" Happy cheered. The exceed caught up to her in seconds, colliding into her chest.

"Happy!" Lucy whined.

"Lucy, we were so scared!" He cried, holding onto her for dear life.

"Where the hell have you been?" Natsu growled at Gray.

"I don't know." Gray growled back. "I've never been to Bellum before."

Lucy felt Wendy collide into her body. Wendy squeezed her so hard that Happy complained about not being able to breath.

"Now is not the time for jokes." Erza joined the group hug.

"Clearly something happened that we're not aware of..." Gray pointed out.

Lucy looked down at Wendy's face, the girl was crying.

"We thought Lucy was kidnapped!" Happy answered.

"I heard some people say that a blonde woman was kidnapped." Natsu added.

"That could have been anyone." Lucy questioned.

"It was the description." Wendy said shakily. "A young blonde woman, busty, with a whip."

The description made Lucy shudder. "That's..." She was at a loss for words. Luckily it wasn't her.

Lucy found Natsu's gaze. "Who was that guy they brought in?"

The group hug finally came to an end, but they all stayed close together.

"We found the blonde woman." Natsu told her. "And the guy that kidnapped her. There were more, but I was only able to grab one."

"How did the others escape?" Gray asked.

"The same way as the guys in Iceburg." Wendy blurted. "That black smoke."

Erza nodded. "They used some kind of trigger on their shirts. It's a button like...thing."

"I figured it out by the time this moron tried to use his." Natsu told them.

"Good." Lucy breathed. "I hope they get a lot of information out of him."

"So," Gray pressed. "Are we thinking the guys from a few weeks ago and today are connected?"

Lucy looked to Erza, who had an eye for these sorts of things.

"It's possible." Erza spoke, her blade was no longer out. "But it's also possible they just use the same kind of teleportation magic."

"What if the bounty on our heads is connected to Bosco?" Wendy asked, her eyes were puffy from crying. Lucy reached her hand out to stroke Wendy's hair.

"They were trying to get the guys too though."

Gray nodded. "I haven't heard anything about men going missing too."

"Me either." Erza agreed.

Wendy fell into Lucy for another hug. Lucy squeezed Wendy back and Happy too.

Lucy found herself comparing the first time she was kidnapped to this time when it could have been her. When she was seventeen her father wouldn't have had a clue as to where she went. According to those who had spoken of Bosco, these girls didn't return. She would still be missing. In this case her friends were there to hunt her down should it have been her. Lucy felt her eyes sting as tears welled up in them. She was just so moved to have people care about her. Back then her father only cared about her return so he'd have an heir to his estate.

"Lucy, don't cry." Happy cried.

"I'm sorry." She sniffed.

"We need to lay low." Erza ordered. "Let's eat dinner and then we'll spend the rest of the night at the Inn. I know we all must be hungry by now."

"Aye." Happy murmured.

They walked down a street that Erza had noticed a street full of restraunts. They finally decided on a peaceful looking place called 'Glenda's Cafe and Grill.' Natsu and Gray hung back, conversing back and forth.

The inside of the Cafe did not match the cute looking exterior. The inside looked more like a tavern. The waitress's wore knee length skirts and tight shirts. A small piece of fabric that might be called an apron did little to protect their fronts. Lucy was relieved to feel overdressed for a change.

There was a sign that said it was a self seating establishment. They found a big table in the corner and sat down. Natsu was the last to sit down, both him and Erza sat on the edges. Lucy and Wendy sat in the middle. Happy wasn't done snuggling.

Lucy held him close and stroked his fur. Glad that he wasn't being a menace for once.

"So what were you two doing?" Erza asked as she scanned the menu.

Gray spoke before Lucy could. "We just walked around, found a cool weapon shop. You'd want to check it out Erza."

"I might." Erza nodded.

Lucy felt Natsu staring, she looked over at him and smiled. This time he smiled back, making her heart flutter. Lucy blinked to break the stare and opened her menu.

"Do we want to share an appetizer?" Erza asked. "Fried pickles sounds so good."

"I'm down for that." Wendy agreed.

"Lucy and I had a small bowl of soup while we waited." Gray informed them.

Natsu grunted. "Really, you couldn't wait?"

"Nope." Gray answered cooly. "We were hungry. Don't worry, I still am."

"We had to leave before we could finish the other half of the meal." Lucy grumbled. "The waitress was being a...you know what."

"So how far out of town did you guys get?" Gray asked.

"We chased him all the way up to a town called..." Natsu tried to think of the town's name. "Gargle?"

"Gambelle." Erza corrected.

"Oh." Natsu hadn't even picked up his menu yet, he was fanning himself with it.

"Do you already know what you want?" Lucy asked him.

Natsu looked at her and then down at his menu. "Uh, no." He opened it up and scanned it.

"How far is that?" Gray pressed.

"I don't even remember honestly." Erza admitted.

Wendy looked up at Lucy. "It was all a blur. Natsu ran up to our room to check if you were there and told us that you were kidnapped."

"He was so sure!" Happy blurted.

"He heard they were going east," Wendy continued."And we tracked down this carriage. There were four guys escorting her."

"Was she okay?" Lucy asked.

"She was startled." Wendy shook her head. "They had her tied up and everything."

"She put on a brave face." Erza commented.

Carla shook her head. "I don't think she was half as startled as she should have been."

"They used charms on me." Lucy remembered Bora trying to dull her senses. She shuddered.

"Don't worry Lucy." Erza looked Lucy deep in the eyes. "They will never get their slimy hands on you again."

Lucy's breath caught in her throat. "Okay." She choked.

"Lucy!" Happy hugged her again. Lucy buried her face into his fur. "You're making me cry."

"I'm sorry." She sniffed. Wendy rubbed her back.

A waitress popped in to check on them. "How's it going?" Lucy watched the waitress put her hand on Natsu's shoulder.

 _Great, another handsy waitress._ Lucy looked away, mentally picturing the waitress's hand catch fire. _Are you Juvia now?_ Lucy snapped out of it.

"Excellent!" Erza chirped.

"Alright." The waitress removed her hand from Natsu and got out a pen. "What to drink?"

The group talked happily among themselves. Everyone had expressed their relief in being reunited at least twice. Natsu had his head thrown back, laughing about something Gray had said. Gray looked down suddenly, Lucy could tell he had something weighing on his shoulders.

 _He wants to tell Natsu about Gildarts._ Lucy knew. She thought about bringing up the fight, but she couldn't get it out. The desire to do so had escaped her for the time being. How could she bring up the idea of a fight without bringing up Dean?

 _I'm gonna have to talk to Gray later, so he'll know to go ahead and tell Natsu._

"We saw a couple that looked just like Gajeel and Levy." Wendy told Lucy.

Erza tilted her head. "They had two babies in a carriage, I think it's a sign they are having twins."

"The Bellum Gajeel was fat." Happy laughed.

"Maybe that's a sign too," Natsu quipped. "He's about to let himself go."

"Maybe." Gray smirked. "He already fainted once."

Natsu snickered, it was like music to Lucy's ears.

She thanked God for Natsu's mood improving.

"You laugh now." Erza had a warm smile on her lips. "I can't wait to see how you 'tough guys' act when you're holding your own children for the first time."

"Eh," Natsu shrugged. "If I even have kids."

 _You will_. Lucy's wilder inner voice promised him. Her more tame inner voice urged the other one to shut up.

"I see that look Lucy." Happy wiggled his eyes brows.

Cool as a cucumber Lucy blew his comment off. "I was just thinking of Gajeel fainting." She lied. "That's a funny mental picture."

"See," Gray smiled. "Lucy gets it."

"Gray on the otherhand." Natsu grinned. "He's gonna flood Magnolia with his tears."

Gray nodded his head slowly. "I just might, I come from a long line of badasses. My kids are gonna be no different. It's going to mean a lot to me bringing more legends into the world."

"Legends!" Natsu choked. "Some legends they'll be when mine kick their butts!"

Gray rolled his eyes. "You don't even want kids."

"I do now."

"Just because you want to prove me wrong."

Wendy sighed. "You and Juvia are going to have cute babies."

"Thank you." Gray smiled.

"We already talked about this." Happy smirked. "Natsu's gonna be like Gildarts. He's gonna travel around the world and one day when he's gotten old his kids are gonna track him down."

"That's a horrible thing to say." Carla murmured.

"Sounds good to me." Natsu shrugged.

"Ass." Gray spat.

"Nah," Natsu corrected. "I wanna follow in Gildarts shoes, to a point. But I'm not gonna leave behind a kid. No kid should have to grow up with out its parent."

Something inside Gray popped. "Well..." Gray began. "It's funny you should say that-"

"Excuse me." Lucy looked up to see a middle aged woman and man standing at their table. The woman looked at them with sad eyes. The man wrung his hat in his hand nervously. "You are all a part of Fairy Tail, right?"

"Yeah." Natsu answered proudly. "That's us."

"We need your help." The woman pleaded.

* * *

 **So happy to see all the responses to my last chapter. It was a lot of fun to write.**

 **Thank you for your reviews:**

 **Bakers28  
Seanovan  
MasterGildarts  
rmadhumita378  
YayoiKunizika**

 **I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying the fanfiction. Fanfiction was my way to cope with a story withdraw. A lot of times I was unable to find the right fic so I would write my own. I have yet to finish one and it's my goal to break that habit with my 'The Century Quest'. I've gotten a few comments on my voices for Natsu. In the series I noticed he kinda hangs back as the 'Lovable idiot' when he's not being an impulsive badass. Which is why I don't really see the Canon Natsu as the type to settle down. He doesn't really have the wits for a relationship and I think Lucy would eventually move on. In my story I'm trying to have him get to be the 'settle down type' so I have to change him up a bit so it's not forced. In the Manga Natsu admitted that he saw him and Lucy together from then on out, so there is at least that to go off of.**

 **Lunar13  
I tried to stay true to Fairy Tail's outlandish character voices, the goofy ones. lol. Also, a little secret... Dean is a really horny virgin. I based the Cyrenese off of Amish folk...They wait until marriage before they sleep together. Dean scares off other girls with how fast he moves with them. It's hard to find a girl with loose morals in such a tight knit community. He was hoping Lucy would be into him enough to...y'know. Luckily Natsu was able to kill the mood. Lmao.**

 **Ashthenerdystargazer**  
 **Ayyy! I'm glad you were able to pick that out. My writers block has subsided. I've got enough fuel for several more chapters before I am sure to hit another wall. While I wait for inspiration I have started on chapters to be used later on down the line.**

 **Thank you for the follows and favorites, I see ya ;)**

 **Keep telling me what you think :)**

 **See you next time!**


	13. Another Side Mission

"Yeah, that's us" Natsu confirmed.

"What's it to you?" Gray asked.

"We've heard about your guild. The man spoke. "We know that you were strong enough to defeat the Black Wizard and his creatures."

"Our Daughter was kidnapped, we think you can help us find her...My name is Hama, this is my husband Bejorn."

"What happened to her?" Erza asked.

"We know it was men from Bosco." Bejorn stressed. "It must have been them, there's no trace of her."

"I'm so sorry." Lucy sympathized.

"What makes you think we can track her down?" Natsu asked.

"Your guild's reputation has a far reach." Hama explained.

"We've tried everything to get a search for her but the justice syestem won't search beyond the borders of Bellum."

"Why not?" Lucy asked.

Bejorn frowned. "They don't want to get into it with Bosco. Their King has already expressed a deep offense to any and all allegations."

"I know for a fact it's Bosco." Lucy growled. "I was almost kidnapped and the perp spilled his guts. Said the point was to get glamour models."

Hama gasped. "Our baby!"

"Geez" Bejorn turned his head sharply, disturbed with the idea.

"Baby?" Natsu frowned. "How old was she."

"About this young lady's age." Bejorn pointed at Lucy.

"'About'?" Gray pressed.

"You don't know her exact age?" Asked Erza.

"She's nineteen." Hama answered.

"How can we help?" Lucy asked.

"We've heard it's near impossible to track those girls down." Gray added.

Hama grimaced and turned into her husbands arms.

Erza punched Gray in the arm.

"Gray..." Lucy glared at him.

"Ow." He hissed, glaring at Erza.

Bejorn found Lucy's gaze. "Please, we have information that if it's correct we could put one of the top smugglers away tonight."

"Help us with that at least." Hama pleaded. "We'll be grateful enough. Imagine what he could say if given enough pressure."

"What do you have in mind?" Lucy asked.

"There's an underground establishment called...What's it called sweetheart?" Bejorn nudged his wife.

"It's called 'The Poisned Well' They all meet down there and talk business."

"Where do you get your information from?" Carla asked.

Hama and Bejorn gaped at Carla. Hama pointed at Carla. "The cat speaks!"

"We're exceeds!" Happy snapped.

They clearly didn't know about exceeds.

"Where do you get your information from?" Gray pressed.

"We have befriended multiple families and inviduals who have lost loved ones to Bosco. The community has a far reach." Said Hama.

Bejorn followed with, "We think if one of you were to act as a smuggler, you could listen in and find a guy that goes by the name 'Vega'."

"This Vega is a top dog?" Erza asked.

"Exactly, if you guys can bring him in the police would get a ton of leads."

"How could the rest of us help?" Lucy asked.

"You could act like 'goods'." Hama told her. "The guys could discuss prices for you with the big guys, then lead em into a trap."

"You really want to put yourself through that?" Gray asked Lucy. They were all looking at her.

Lucy bit her tongue. She could sense how much anguish this evening's incident had put her friends through. Wendy still looked ill.

"Well." Erza tilted her head. "Remember on the bus ride over here, you were talking about doing something similar?"

Natsu looked lost.

"Yeah" Gray sighed. "I remember, Using you girls as bait to lure out the women snatching pervs."

Their waitress had come up behind the older couple, their food was ready. She quickly passed it out and retreated to the kitchen.

"This could be the big fight you wanted." Lucy tried to sway Natsu.

Natsu leaned back in his seat, she could see the idea warming up to him.

"I don't like it." Wendy frowned. "What if something goes wrong?"

"You might stay behind dear." Hama told Wendy. "It's not the place for children."

"Nonsense." Bejorn covered. "We need all the help we can get."

"It's a rough place." Hama threw back.

The aroma from Lucy's pizza stirred her stomach, she pushed it away to stay focused.

Bejorn stared directly at Lucy. "Even if it's just you dear, we know a guy that could stage as a smuggler. A real good guy."

Natsu looked at the table, but kept the rest of his attention on Lucy. He wasn't intervening, letting her decide for herself. She didn't want to put her friends through this again.

"I don't know." Lucy bit her cheek hard to distract from the pain in her stomach.

"If you change your mind." Hama said in a sad tone. "Meet us at the Inn on Sterling street, we'll be in suite number eleven. Eleven P.M. will be good."

"You're staying at an Inn?" Erza asked, ignoring the fact that they were staying at the same Inn as the rest of them.

"We sold everything to find our Kara."

Lucy shifted in her seat. It was too much. She balled her fists tight to keep it together.

"We'll let you eat now." Hama gave Lucy one last pleading look and the two turned to leave.

They waited until the couple had left the building before speaking.

"We can pull it off." Lucy leaned forward, eyes burning with certainty.

"We have before." Erza smirked. "In Stella."

"Lucy was captured!." Wendy pointed out.

"I saved her in no time." Natsu countered. He grabbed his silverware and dug into the medium rare steak.

 _Just in time._

Lucy remembered being imprisoned in Stella. It was a nasty situation, but they got through it.

Erza folded her hands in her lap. "The way it sounds, we'll be in a room full of men associated with this human trafficking. Natsu?"

He looked upat Erza. "Hm?"

"This would be a good chance for you to get everyone's scent for future use in case we need to track anyone."

"Got it."

Wendy frowned. "Being in a room full of nasty men, is that not frightening to you?"

Lucy decided at last. "I'm not afraid of anything except how I'll live with myself if I don't at least try."

"It's kind of risky." Gray threw out there. "It's possible-"

"Risky?" Natsu laughed. "We can handle a little undercover mission."

Gray growled and hit the table with his hand, making everyone but Natsu jump. "I mean with all the turmoil going on among the borders. We already have a bad reputation for being from Fiore. We haven't ran into any extremists luckily, but their King might retaliate if we get involved."

Erza sighed. "I'd hate to get Queen Hisui into a situation."

"Maybe if just a few of us go?" Lucy suggested.

"Me, you and Erza." Natsu aggreed.

Gray didn't look too pleased with that idea either.

"I believe you can pull it off." Wendy said with a pained look.

"Of course we can." Natus grinned.

"What about Carla and I?" Happy asked.

"I'm staying with Wendy." Carla decided.

"It's up to you buddy." Natsu told him.

"I'm not missing out." Happy chirped.

"Nice." Natsu gave Happy a thumbs up.

"Are you okay with waiting back at the Inn?" Erza asked Gray.

"Not really." Gray grumbled.

Lucy pulled her pizza back over. "It might be a good idea to have two people stay behind anyway. Gray, you have the communication lacrima. If- God forbid- something were to happen-."

"Nothing will." Natsu stressed.

" _If_ ," Lucy enunciated. "There's no shame in having a back up plan. _If_ something were to happen, someone needs to tell the guild."

Gray gave Lucy a grave look. "If we get into trouble, there is nothing they can do. We're at fault."

"I know." Lucy said sullenly. "But you have Juvia to think about."

"And," Carla added. "If Wendy is staying behind she should have a companion. We still have bounty hunters to worry about."

Gray nodded slowly.

"So it's decided." Natsu clapped his hands.

A feeling of determination sat above the anxiety stirring in her stomach. She was basically keeping her promise to Mabel, that she would do what she could for the less fortunate women taken by Bosconian smugglers.

"Gray," Said Erza. "You should still go with us to meet with Hama and Bejorn, that way you can relay any vital information to local authorities."

"Alright." Gray agreed.

"We'll go too then." Wendy decided.

"You don't have to." Lucy told her. "This is a totally different situation than we're used to."

"I want to do this at least." Wendy urged.

"Works for me." Lucy grinned.

-0-

Gray watched from the back of the group as his friends made their way back to the guild. Natsu and Lucy walked with a spring in their step, Wendy a few paces behind with Carla. If it weren't for Juvia he'd be skipping along with Natsu.

He was aching more and more every day to get home to her. Everything he did now was done with their future in mind. Having a fortune to back them up was pivotal. Juvia was a dreamer, and Gray was determined to make those dreams come true. Before he left Fiore, Juvia expressed the desire to have a child. He was a long way from fulfilling that one. However, knowing the extent of Juvia's determination firsthand Gray knew he had to take a few precautions. She was more cunning than one would think.

Gray smirked.

"What?" Erza asked, hitting the brakes on his thoughts.

He mentally brushed aside all thoughts of Juvia.

"Just thinking about...the Quest." He tried and suceeded in sounding cool and collected.

"Everything is going to work out Gray." Erza assured him, she patted him roughly on the shoulder.

"I don't doubt you guys." Gray stated. "Just don't want to cause more trouble."

"I never thought you did. And I see where you're coming from. It's hard not to keep in mind the border squirmishes when it's come up as much as it has."

Gray felt a flush of grattitude that his earlier concern was being considered.

"What's on your mind then?" Erza pressed.

Gray felt his face warm up. He dug through his pile of relevant concerns and found one that wasn't relationship based. "We've had so many set backs since we left Fiore...I know the quest was meant to be a long one and all, but it practically hasn't even begun yet."

"On the brightside, Makarov is pleased with us." Erza commented. "Says we're making a good name for Fiore and Fairy Tail."

Gray lifted his hand to rub the back of his neck. "That's great at least, for the Old Man's sake."

"We're so close to St. Ghalahad." Erza stressed. "We should just appreciate the calm while we can."

"At this point in my life." Gray smirked. "Calm is just another word for idle."

Erza snickered.

Gray smiled a little in return, glad he had been able to reroute the conversation.

-0-

"Did you clean up?" Erza asked Lucy. They had returned to their hotel room to relax while they waited for Ten O'Clock to roll around. The guys had gone their own way for now. Lucy was sure Gray would find the time to fill Natsu in on the news from Gildarts. She tucked away the idea of challenging Natsu to a fight, and hoped Gray would too. The kidnap scare had worked in her favor. Natsu was happy again and they were doing something about Bosco.

"I didn't." Lucy admitted. "It was on the messy side the first time Gray and I came back and then it was clean the second time around."

"Is anything missing?" Erza asked, opening a travel bag that was sitting on her end table.

"No," Lucy shook her head. "I just found everything neater than I found it."

"Hm."

"I'm not missing anything." Wendy said, relieved.

"Well, that's all that matters anyway." Erza muttured.

"Gray and I weren't sure if they had a maid service."

"I don't remember anything said, but it makes sense. You remember the owner. Definitely the type to intrude."

The bolt slid open on their room door and the guys spilled in.

"Speaking of intruding." Erza quipped.

"Is it the same person?" Gray asked Natsu who was sniffing the air.

"Yeah." Natsu answered.

"I think we're all on the same subject." Erza said stiffly, she sent her travel bag away with her spatial magic.

Lucy was buzzing with energy. She tapped her hand on her leg spastically. "Maybe we should go ask the owner?"

Her friends slumped where they stood, except Wendy who was already laying back on her side of the bed.

"We just walked up the stairs." Natsu whined.

Lucy hopped up. "Guess it's up to me."

"Godspeed." Gray called after her.

She was halfway down the hallway when she heard the door close.

"Wait up." Nastu called after her.

Lucy grinned and waited for him to catch up. Her breath stuck in her throat, keeping words from coming out.

They headed towards the stairs again.

"It's only nine." Natsu chattered. "Maybe we could go ahead of the others and be done by ten."

Lucy swallowed the lump in her throat, getting Natsu's attention.

"You're not getting nervous on me, are ya?"

"No way!" Lucy managed to say.

"Good."

They hurried down the steps and pushed through the door to the lobby.

"Do you see him?" Lucy asked, scanning through the faces of those behind the counter.

"No."

They stepped up to the desk. "Yes?" The clerk asked, adjusting his glasses. His name tag read 'Ted'

"Does the Inn have people who come in to clean the rooms?" Lucy asked.

"No ma'am." He shook his head with an air of annoyance. Like she was some entitled guest expecting free service.

Lucy frowned. "We ask because someone came into our room and messed with our things."

"If you'd like to file a complaint, please come back in the morning."

"Nothing was stolen." Lucy pressed. "But it's still concerning."

"Perhaps it's just your imagination ma'am?" He suggested.

Natsu leaned forward on the counter. "My nose doesn't lie, someone was in our rooms."

Ted took a step back and swallowed. His hands went up to adjust his lapel. "Well, if nothing was stolen then that's hardly a concern."

"An unknown person has the ability to enter your guests rooms at will," Lucy began. "And you don't see a problem with that?"

"Uh sir." A woman named Leah leaned into Ted.

"What is it?"

"The owner said to give them special treatment, He recognized them as members of a popular guild in Fiore."

"Fiorians?" He sneered.

She nodded.

"Well, there you go." Ted chirped. "It was us."

Lucy looked at Natsu, unconvinced. "Who exactly?" She asked.

Ted was starting to turn red. "We have a crew that only cleans vacant rooms in the mornings. It could have only been one of them."

"We checked in at mid-noon."

"They can be summoned at any time." Ted assured them.

Lucy exhaled the stress that was filling her chest like burrs. She supposed it added up, her clothes were well folded after all.

Natsu pushed off the counter and headed back towards the steps. Lucy turned to follow. She nearly tripped up the steps trying to keep up.

He walked back into his room and smelled around.

 _What is it boy?_ Lucy wanted to joke. She laughed to herself.

Natsu looked up at her, shaking his head. "I thought I recognized Leah's scent in here."

"The girl at the front desk?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, but it's not the same scent...not exactly."

"Maybe she's a part of the cleaning crew?"

"It didn't seem like it." Natsu thought. "Otherwise he would have mentioned her, don't ya think?"

Lucy nodded. "Anything to get us off his back."

He sniffed around a bit more, even checking his bags. "Eh, screw 'em." Natsu waved it off.

Lucy looked at Natsu and chuckled. He looked back at her and grinned.

"I almost forgot." Lucy stood and went to the dresser where she had stashed his canteen. It was wrapped in brown paper. She handed it over to him. She leaned back against the dresser as he opened it.

"It's a canteen." She told him before he could hope it was something cool.

"Hell yeah!" He cheered. "I've been slowly dehydrating since Iceburg."

"I shared my water with you." Lucy defended.

He unscrewed the lid and looked inside.

"I didn't want to steal from you, and then you weren't speaking to me from...Mabel's." His speech slowed down as he acknowledged the can of worms he was opening.

Her eyes widened. "I'm so sorry, I never would have kept it from you!

Lucy covered her face in shame and groaned.

 _That was a too long of a walk without water, I didn't even think about it!_

 _"_ Erza lent me hers." Natsu assured her., he had both hands out like he was expecting her to collapse.

"I'm glad. I'm so sorry." She shook her head. "It shouldn't have taken me that long to get over it."

Natsu looked down at the canteen and set it down gently on the dresser. "I shouldn't have done it in the first place."

"Why did you?" Lucy asked.

Natsu licked his lips and scratched his cheek with his thumb. "I just wanted to shut him up."

She leaned against the dresser. "It's funny, you'd think there would be at least one girl in that village to fall for his 'charm'"

"You call that _charm_?"

"Sarcastically." She clarified.

"I didn't mean to burn him." Natsu said looking down at the floor. "He was so close."

"When you were me?" Lucy frowned.

"Ugh." Natsu shuddered, reliving a moment.

Lucy caught herself to keep from laughing. "I'm so glad I didn't have to experience that. I guess I should thank you after all."

Natsu shook his head. "No, I screwed up. I should have just knocked him out."

"That wouldn't have helped anything."

Natsu caught his breath and then exhaled shakily. "I could have not made you mad at least...I'm always making you mad."

"No!" Lucy protested. "That's not true at all!"

"A few weeks ago you locked yourself in the bathroom because of me."

"That wasn't your fault, I'm the one who lost control of her emotions." She tried to make clear. "I was an emotional wreck because of that wizard. He was manipulating my feelings and messed me up for a bit.

"I'm just...impulsive. I can't help it."

"Well, I'd still like it if you would forget how to transform into me. It's really invasive and...scary."

"I won't ever again." He swore.

"Thank you."

He nodded slowly, still giving all his attention to the floor. Lucy felt better after speaking her mind, but now she needed to put them back on the right track.

"You know." She said softly. "You shouldn't say 'Impulsive' like it's a bad thing."

"Isn't it?" His voice was flat. Natsu turned so he could lean next to her on the dresser.

"Not for you. Being impulsive is one of your best traits."

"How could it be?"

Lucy touched her finger to her chin. "Hm, let's see. First of all every decision led us here. On a neat and promising quest that might just set each of us up for life."

He listened patiently for more reasons.

"Every decsion has made you a hundred times more powerful than you were nearly four years ago...er, fourteen years ago. It's made me like, fifty times more powerful. Which is awesome."

Lucy stared down at the floor, speaking from the heart felt a lot like trying to keep three celestial doors open.

"And...it highlights how brave and true you are."

"Mindless isn't the same as brave." Natsu said quietly.

Lucy frowned. She felt somehow he was repeating the things he had heard around the guild. She loved them all to death, but they were merciless when it came to picking at each other.

"You've fought too many battles and one too many wars to be 'mindless' about what you're putting yourself through. It's the average person's instinct to runaway for survival, where as for you...It's more of your instinct to meet whatever threat head on."

They sat in silence for a few moments. Lucy was waiting for him to speak. Expecting him to prompt her one way or another. Finally she looked over and noticed the way his fingers dug into his arms. Her eyes widened, knowing that he was trying to suppress his emotions.

She reached out and squeezed his fingers, trying to help him ease up. "Don't do that."

He stayed motionless as she brushed her fingers over his.

"Talk to me." She said in a hushed tone. They were less than a foot a part, but that was hardly a concern.

He chuckled nervously, making it impossible for Lucy to look him in the eye. She stared at his hand instead, patterned with scrapes and old scars. "It's nothing."

Lucy patted his hand affectionately and let go. "It's never 'nothing'." She told him, leaning back against the dresser.

"I'm not a 'normal person'."

She looked up at him, wondering where he was going with this.

"I'm not even human."

"I thought you were given a choice?" Lucy pressed. "And you chose human?"

"I did, but I'm still part Etherious. That's something that will never go away."

"How do you know?" Lucy asked.

"Porlyusica. She said that both the dragon and demon seed had resided in me for so long, that even destroyed they have an affect over me."

"What else did she say?"

"She isn't sure how it with affect me down the line, I might not even age the same as the rest of ya."

"You're going to live longer?"

"Maybe."

"Are you immortal?"

"No. She was sure about that."

Lucy remembered how close to death he had become, dependent on her own body warmth for survival. "Well, that's good at least. No one should live forever."

"She also thinks it's the ethernano that makes my hair pink."

Lucy looked up at his hair. "Her hair is pink too?"

"I brought that up, she says it's because of being from Edolas. She's their version of Grandeeney and that mixed with the high concentrate of ethernano exposure in Earthland caused changes in her."

Lucy shuddered. Porlyusica was attractive for her age, but those crimson red eyes gave Lucy the creeps. "Wait, none of the other Etherious had pink hair and neither did the other Jellal. His hair never turned pink."

Natsu shrugged. "She didn't explain everything...It makes sense. I saw a memory of my real parents, neither of them had pink hair. Dad was blond and my mom had black hair."

"That's so cool. When did that happen?"

"I was in that coma."

"Oh."

"Yep."

"Well...I don't think pink hair and an extended life span are enough to bother you so much...so what is it exactly that you don't like."

Natsu clicked his tongue absentmindedly before coming up with a response. "When me and Zeref were fighting... he suggested I call him 'brother'."

"Yeah...?"

"How could he have the guts to expect me to call him that after everything he put me through?"

"I don't know..." Lucy murmured.

"He didn't care about me at all. I was just a means to an end. Created to do the worst thing imaginable."

"But you didn't, it wasn't your destiny after all."

"It was the only reason I was revived in the first place...I wasn't meant to survive either. He planned it so I would disappear with him."

"You're still here and better than ever."

"I'm still stuck with being E.N.D. and the reputation of being evil. It sucks. I didn't ask for any of this."

"Maybe you could talk to Mirajane about this, use your E.N.D. form as an extra magic ability.?"

"Meh, I'll deal with being E.N.D. on my own...It's just frustrating being used and affected by something I had no control over."

 _That's how I feel when you transform into me!_ Lucy wanted to tell him, but decided that ship had sailed. So she pushed the comment aside.

"I don't want to be known as evil." He said quietly. "It's not fair."

"No it's not." Lucy agreed. "The good thing is that for the people that matter, the ones who actually know you...you are this amazing guy who helped destroy the true entity of evil, twice. Both Zeref and Acnologia. You're loved and respected. And screw anyone who thinks otherwise!"

"Ugh!" Natsu groaned, alarming Lucy. "How did we get so mushy?"

Lucy felt a wave of heat rush through her body. Lucy threw her gaze to the corner of the room. "I- I'd take mushy over upset any day."

Natsu punched the air, sending a small flame into the open air. "Where's Gray, I need to fight him. Get back to my right mind."

Lucy pushed off the dresser and faced him. "You know." Lucy threw two punches the way Capricorn had taught her. "Gray suggested that I challenge you to a fight."

"He did?" Natsu asked.

"Mhm, said it would make you feel better after everything that went on."

"He knows me well." Natsu sniffed, she saw a grin worm it's way on his face. "Three-two-one-GO!" He charged her.

Lucy put her hands up in defense. "Not hereeeee!" The world spun as she was flipped backwards. "Ooomph!" She bounced to a stop on the bed and groaned. These beds were not cushy like the one she owned in Fiore.

Natsu was pacing back and forth with his hands in the air like he had just won the Grand Wizard Games while she managed to get some air back in her lungs.

"Natsu Dragneel defeats Lucy Heartfilia with one blow!" He made a cheering noise to mimic a million screaming fans. "Natsu! Natsu! Natsu!"

Lucy rolled over and threw a pillow at his head. He was too quick and punched it away. It smacked into the wall with enough force to disrupt a boring picture of a tree.

"What's this, Punkins?" Natsu continued with his role. "Lucy is back, angrier than ever. What will she do next?"

Lucy grinned and grabbed the last two pillows in her hand.

"She's armed and dangerous!"

Lucy moved her left hand like she was going to throw it. Natsu twitched. She moved her right and he exaggerated another movement.

"She's toying with him, looking for an opening!"

Lucy faked right and then threw the pillow from her left hand. Natsu was already flipping mid air over the bed. He grabbed the airbourne pillow and sent it flying towards the back of her head.

 **Pow!**

Lucy cussed as she grabbed onto the bed to steady herself.

Natsu laughed and fell backwards at the top of the bed. "Natsu's gone down, he must have fallen for a trick of hers. He's poisoned! Ahh!"

Lucy chuckled.

"Dark magic is suspected."

"Whatever!"

"She'll have to forfeit."

She rested her head on her right hand. "The pink haired wonder wins by default!"

"It was a good fight." He said, extending his hand.

Lucy reached out her hand and met his in the middle.

"Good job." She said as he shook her hand roughly.

"I don't do that 'Win by default' junk. So we'll have to plan a redo."

She looked him in the eye, they were still holding on to each other's hands. "Just tell me when and where."

"Somewhere with miles and miles of land at our disposal. With me and you going at it, we'll have to take some precautions."

"No kidding." Lucy blushed.

"Especially if you go all out, that one spell you use looks brutal."

"Urano Metria." Lucy reminded him. "I don't know if I could use that."

"Why not?"

"It's dangerous, what if it actually hurt you?"

"I'm not afraid, besides I want to see if I can eat some of the flames that come off the stars."

"Ew." Lucy frowned.

"That's not gross, it's frickin cool. Imagine having a celestial fire power. I'd be unstoppable!"

Lucy stared at him in disbelief, but then decided she would expect nothing less from him. He liked to throw himself into the worst situations, it's how he became so powerful. She figured she should start doing the same or she would never be able to keep up with him. Lucy watched the wild look in his eyes intensify, putting a smile on her face.

He smiled back, giving her a warm look not toodifferent than the one in Cyrene. She was frozen while his gaze touched her skin like rays of sunshine. Lucy wondered if her gaze warmed him too. If only they were closer, then she might just be able to find out. Alas, she wasn't brave enough.

Natsu sighed and loosened his grip on Lucy's hand. She followed his lead. "This will be a good fight, especially now that you're fireproof."

Lucy moved so her arms were dangling off the side of the bed, mostly so she could hide her face in the mattress. "Yeah, I just need some fireproof clothes, where do you get yours?"

Relief swelled in Lucy's chest, stealing her attention away from Natsu.

I _can't believe just a few hours earlier I was panicking in the bathroom. I hate it when I overreact..._

"Worse case just fight me naked, can't be too different." Natsu said, getting her attention.

"What?!" Lucy gasped. "Different how?"

"You're always fighting in skirts anyway."

"That's clothing!"

"Revealing clothing."

Lucy groaned, but didn't comment.

"Sorry..."

"Meh." Lucy shrugged it off. "I'm looking forward to this fight, maybe I'll learn a few things."

"I think it'll be over too fast for all that."

"Ha, Oh really?" Lucy lazily trailed her fingers through the carpet.

"Really." He flopped over on his belly so that they laid side by side.

She could feel his body only a few inches from hers.

"This is comfortable." He commented, digging his fingers into the plush carpet.

"Trash talk all you want, Natsu." Lucy said in a cautious tone. "It's just going to make my victory sweeter."

"You don't have any spirits that can eat fire, do ya?"

"As if I'd tell you."

"Oh wait, I've seen all your spirits. You don't."

"They don't need to eat fire. If I can withstand it, so can they."

"Damn it. I'll have to think of a new game play."

Natsu held out two fingers and walked them over to Lucy. "I'll have to defeat you using sheer strength...Hi-ya!"

Lucy played along, pulling her hand away before he could 'kick' her. She extended two fingers of her own and chased his hand around. She waved her thumb like a hand.

"Open gate of the Lion, Leo!"

"Loke!" Natsu said with fake fear. "Not the big ol pussy cat. Eat my flames!" He waved his thumb and sent a small flame towards her hand.

"That's adorable!" Lucy cooed. "It's so little!"

"Who are you calling little!" He growled. "Raaaa!" Flames shot up his wrist. "Mwahahaha!"

Lucy ran her hand over to his. "Flames don't scare me. Hiiiiii-Yaaa- hi-ya!"

Their hands smacked and bumped into each others.

"Lucy Kick!"

Natsu caught her fingers in his hand. "Fire Dragon Barbecue! His flames licked their way up her wrist.

"You made that up!"

"You did too." He threw back at her. "'Lucy kick'..."

Lucy buried her face into the mattress to conceal her laughter.

"Oh shit." She heard Natsu curse.

Lucy lifted her head to see. Natsu poked at two black holes burned into the carpet.

Lucy didn't care at all, they were so rude to her at the front desk. "We'll just scoot the bed over a bit and be long gone by the time he notices."

"Okay." Natsu slid off the bed and Lucy followed suit.

They grabbed the edge and slid the bed over just enough to cover the spots.

"Perfect." Lucy said.

"So evil." Natsu shook his head.

Lucy clicked her tongue. "The Blonde Beast."

Natsu lifted his hand up and ruffled her hair.

Lucy ducked her head to get away from him. She instinctively turned to look in the mirror that was between the door and the dresser. It looked like she had just rolled out of bed.

"You're such a goof!" Lucy said lightly, pulling the bands out of her hair.

Natsu followed her over and put his elbow on her shoulder. She watched as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"What are you doing?"

He fluttered his eyelids and flipped his hair, or at least tried to.

"Are you making fun of me?"

"No. Gray."

Lucy snorted. "Nailed it."

"I know."

"Ha-ha, I kinda need my shoulder back." She shrugged him off and went to work putting her hair up into a simple pony tail.

He watched her as she put her hair up with a small smile playing on his lips.

"What?" Lucy asked.

Natsu blinked and looked away, his smile intensified. "It's about time to go."

Lucy's hands fell down to her side, she had forgotten about everything except Natsu. She didn't want to leave yet. The moment was too perfect, she was able to get everything off her chest. He opened up to her again. They were messing around, having fun. On the other hand. What was coming would be a good moment for them too. They were going catch a really bad man.

"Yeah. I'm ready, are you."

"Hell yeah!" He exclaimed, pumped.

"Good." She nodded.

They walked out together back to the other room fifteen doors down.

"I'm glad I'll be here this time, to make sure nothing bad happens." He muttered.

"Just like every time before."

"Not every time...You were still taken back in Stella."

"So what, everything turned out okay."

"I suppose it did."

She could feel his hand stirring the air next to hers as they walked side by side. Lucy reached out and slid her hand into his. His hand was rigid for a second, but much to her surprise he held hers right back. Just for fun, Lucy assumed, Natsu let a fireball climb up their wrists. She lifted their hands a bit higher so it would catch her clothes on fire.

"We'll need to work more on your fire magic after this mission."

"I agree."Lucy said, certain that things were finally beginning to come together for them. She hoped he would make a move soon, barely able to contain her feelings much longer. Lucy looked at their hands wistfully. The flames rose a bit higher before becoming so small she could hardly see them peeking out through their fingers.

She felt his hand go slack. They were nearing their destination.

All of a sudden Natsu yanked his hand away from hers. Lucy felt her heart break a little, thinking the worst.

"That wasn't mine." He stammered, taking her hands in his.

"What are you talking about?!"

"You did it, it was all you!"

Lucy thought back to the small flames reaching through their fingers. "How do you know?"

They watched her hands. She was concentrating now. A small flame spun to life an inch above her palm.

"Whoa!" Lucy marveled.

"Yes!" Natsu swung her around in a circle. Panicked, she grabbed a hold of him.

"If you drop me...!" She threatened, but once he set her down she became ecstatic. "I can make fire!"

She held her hand out again created another flame. It burned brightly before it died. Lucy brought it back again and again.

"Just keep practicing, I'll have to teach you how to do a wing attack next. It's one of the simpler moves."

"I'm not going to turn into a dragon am I?"

"No way, this is stuff any dedicated wizard could learn...And then fire dragon talon -minus the dragon part- imagine that paired with your Lucy kick. Ha ha ha!"

The door to their room cracked open. They saw Gray's face checking on them.

Natsu took off, taking her with him. She didn't have time to scream.

"Gray, it's time to eat your words. Show him Lucy!"

After getting her balance back Lucy held her hand palm up. She tried to engulf her entire wrist. A flame grew to the size of an almond.

Gray's eyes widened. "We'll I'll be... looks like you can teach."

"Don't sound too impressed." Natsu joked.

"I am."

"Good."

Natsu enthusiastically showed off her new ability to the rest of the team.

"Yeah," He chirped. "Keep practicing so you can use it when we battle."

"She told you?" Gray smirked.

"Yeah, I know it was your idea."

"When is your battle?" Erza asked.

"Whenever we get more space." Lucy answered.

"Excellent." She said. "I'll challenge whomever emerges victorious."

Lucy felt true fear take a hold of her. Suddenly, she didn't really care to win this fight."

"I challenge you regardless." Natsu said. "It's long overdue."

Lucy looked over at Gray, raising her eyebrows. Gray looked back at her getting the message.

"Alright, listen up flame brain. I got some news from Gildarts."

Gray had Natsu's full attention. "How."

"He called me off of Juvia's C.L. I was gonna be a jerk and make you defeat Lucy first before telling ya, but I can't sit on this any longer."

Natsu grinned. "I'd have done the same."

"Hey!" Lucy exclaimed. She tried to give him a go to hell look, but the way he was looking at her cleansed her of all mock animosity. She stuck her tongue out at him and looked back over to Gray.

"So Gildarts was talking to Makarov about a quest all the way in Alkaitasia. A boat full of criminals escaped from their prison and took over the ship. There is a bounty on each of their heads ranging from 10,000 to 200,000 jewel."

"How many in total?"

"Forty-eight."

"Sweet!"

"There is a travel ban in affect right now, but Queen Hisui gave Fairytail permission to have three people travel abroad. You, me, and Gildarts."

Lucy felt the joy being sucked out of her body. There was no telling how long that would take.

"What kind of criminals are we talking here?"

"High level security criminals. Ridiculously powerful and they're all wanted for using dark magic."

"No way!" Natsu squealed.

"This is where it gets really good." Gray paused to build tension.

They were all waiting.

"Spit it out!" Carla snapped.

Gray yawned.

They all groaned.

"Alright, alright." He continued. "If we can successfully turn in every single fugitive Makarov agreed to bump us up to S class wizards."

"Fuck. Yes!" He cheered.

 _Dangerous._ The word echoed in her mind.

"This is amazing." Natsu gaped. He held up both his hands for Gray to high five.

 **SMACK!**

"I must admit." Erza began. "I'm a bit envious of the opportunity. However, I look forward to having more S class wizards in the guild.

"I'll be able to go on any S class mission." Natsu marveled.

"Yeah, I won't have to babysit anymore." Erza chuckled.

Wendy clapped her hands excitedly. "This is great news!"

 _He'll be an ocean away._

 _"_ When will we leave?"

"After we're done with this quest."

"That's silly." Erza commented. "There's no telling how long this mission will take. Wouldn't the fugitives be scattered to the four corners of Earthland by then?"

"We'll just have to hit the gas on this mission." Natsu smirked.

"That's not wise." Erza said. "We still don't know what force we are up against. We mustn't rush things."

"It's going to be another month or two before Makarov can get our visas approved." Gray explained. "We can take it easy till then."

"There, works out. This is our last side mission." Natsu said. "After this we gotta focus."

"Agreed." Gray nodded.

Erza pouted. "I kinda like these side missions though."

Natsu sighed. "I do too."

Happy flew over to Natsu. "I get to come too, right?"

"We'll smuggle you in if we have to."

"Thanks!"

Erza stood and stretched. "Alright, put your giddiness aside for now. It's time to go to work.

"Aye sir!" Happy cheered.

-0-

The door to Hama and Bejorn's opened almost immediately after Erza knocked on it.

"I knew we could count on you guys!" Hama grinned.

Lucy was the last to enter. She was confused when three new faces looked up at her. Based on their magical energy they were quite considerable in power.

"Who are these people?" Gray asked.

"We're here to get Vega." The older looking of the three answered. He had black hair with streaks of silver despite looking the same age as Laxus. "I'm Claus."

The other guy in the group stood and began shaking everyone's hands. "I'm Orson." He lingered a bit when he shook Erza's hand.

The third person was a woman about the same height as Levy. "I'm Jellie." She didn't bother to shake everyone's hands, just waved instead.

"Now that we are all acquainted." Bejorn said. "Let's discuss how tonight is going to go down."

"It's ladies night at the 'Poisoned Well' Orson pointed out. "Which means the place is going to be crowded. Groups of girls will be shuffled in without drawing attention."

"You sound like you've seen this first hand." Gray pointed out.

"I have." Orson shot back. "I've been watching this place religiously."

"For how long?" Erza asked.

"Months. I had to be sure the rumors were true. Sure enough, I've noticed women going in and not coming out."

"And you've reported this?"

Orson sneered. "Of course I have. A little back story, my little sister was taken by these devils. I've done everything I could the right way, but Bellum won't touch this situation with a ten foot pole."

"So we've heard." Erza muttered, sitting down on a bed opposite of the couch the three new people were sitting on.

"Please," Hama waved the rest of them on. "Have a seat."

"So." Gray began. "If Bellum won't do anything why will bringing in Vega help anything."

"Well," Claus explained. "They won't make an active effort to go after these 'devils' as Orson says. However, if we can catch one they will be able to extract information via magic extraction. Every word from his tongue will be pure truth. We'll find out once and for all who is truly behind this human trafficking."

"So, how do we get to him."

"Vega will be in a secret room that is protected by some seriously powerful wizards. I know this because I was taken there once, but Vega said I was too short so they let me go. They used dark magic to erase my memory, but my boyfriend at the time was able to bring the memories back. Now I want to help shut this ring down."

"So if I remember correctly." Erza said. "The plan is to get us girls into that room."

"Precisely." Claus agreed. "You'll be taken straight to Vega."

"How are we going to take all these guards out?" Erza asked. "I have no doubt this human trafficking ring is well funded. Those guards must be the best money can buy."

"That's why it'll be all of us going in." Orson explained.

"That's not suspicious?" Gray pressed.

"I've never seen a group of girls go in with less than four guards. Especially for a group of three."

"Two." Erza corrected. "It's just me and Lucy."

"It'd be better with three." Orson stressed.

"Then let Jellie go again." Gray suggested.

"I can have a celestial spirit of mine change up your hair." Lucy suggested. "It'll give you a bit of a disguise."

Jellie looked at them with wide eyes, showing zero enthusiasm what so ever. She made eye contact with Claus who shrugged. "Fine. I'm in."

"Anything else we need to be aware of?" Erza asked.

"Even with all of us combined." Orson told them. "This is risky, things could get out of hand real fast. If you want to back out, go ahead. I won't blame you."

"No way." Natsu said evenly. "We'll have this guy locked up in no time."

"Good man." Claus nodded.

"Let's get you ladies ready." Orson stood and picked up a bag laying on the night stand. "Change into these."

He held out three large shifts. Each an ugly shade of brown.

"Ick." Lucy complained.

"Make sure you're not wearing anything underneath them." Orson said.

"What?!" Lucy choked.

"You've got to be joking." Gray muttered.

"It's standard protocol." Jellie rolled her eyes. "If you don't take em off now they'll take em off in front of everyone." Lucy watched in horror as Jellie began to strip in front of everyone.

Lucy looked at Erza who just shrugged. "No worries, Lucy." She said. "Our magic can fully clothe us when things get serious right?"

"I guess." She sighed.

"These guys are messed up." Orson commented. "Don't forg-"

"Yeah, yeah." Natsu interrupted.

Lucy excused herself to the bathroom to change.

 _It's for all the victims. It's for all the victims. It's for all the victims._

"Of course." Lucy grumbled. The shift looked big, but it still hugged her tightly around the waist and bust. "I'm as good as naked."

The door opened enough for Erza to squeeze in.

"This is ridiculous." Lucy grumbled.

Erza chuckled and hurried to change into her own. "It's just for one night."

Lucy looked in the mirror. "It's a good thing my parents aren't around to see this."

"They'd be proud either way." Erza promised, slipping the fabric over her head. It was just as tight on her.

"I hope this is over quick."

Erza held out a drawstring back. "You can put your underwear in here."

Lucy did.

When all was done Lucy gave Wendy an awkward side hug, not wanting to give her a full frontal one.

"Be safe." Wendy begged.

"Aren't you glad you're not a part of this?" Lucy asked.

"Very glad." Carla answered for her.

Wendy nodded.

Erza gave Gray a bag. "Take this back to our room would you?"

"That's not...?" He held the bag far away from him.

"Thank you." Erza said. "Take care of Wendy."

"I will, let's go Wendy." He said with a look of extreme disapproval.

Wendy gave them one last look before they left.

Jellie ogled at her reflection in the mirror. Cancer had given her wavy hair that went half-way down her back. A stark difference from the pixie cut she was sporting before.

Lucy covered her body and waited to leave. She looked over at Natsu who was going over his role with Orson and Claus. She could feel her anxiety setting in.

 _I'm selfish_. She told herself. _I don't want him going anywhere I can't follow. I need him._

Happy sat next to Lucy. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." She sniffed.

Happy nuzzled her side. Absentmindedly, Lucy stroked his fur.

"Everything is going to be okay." Happy promised.

Lucy nodded slowly. "Yeah, of course." She exhaled and forced a smile.

"Thanks again." Hama patted Erza's shoulder.

"Our pleasure." Erza assured her.

Orson and Claus turned and headed for the door. "Let's do this." He said.

Hama and Bejorn stayed behind. They made Erza and Lucy promise to say goodbye before leaving town.

Erza had struck up a conversation with Jellie and walked ahead.

Happy flew next on the other side of Natsu. "I'll be out of sight, but just whistle and I'll fly over."

"Sounds good little buddy."

Lucy tugged at the side of her shift, hoping to stretch it out a bit.

"You haven't said much." Natsu pointed out.

Lucy fumbled for an excuse. "Just nervous." She lied. She wasn't nervous at all in truth. Between herself, Erza and Natsu...Happy too."

She felt Natsu's hand take a hold of her own. "Don't be."

Now she was for sure. Waiting on Natsu to make a move was a lot like trying to get a spark to catch on a pile of woodshavings. She was afraid that one wrong more and it would be gone forever.

They drove for a while, the only light sources were tiny gas powered lights spread out ten feet apart and the headlights.

Erza was lucky enough to get the front seat while the rest of them were squished in the back. Orson and Jellie took up the middle row and Lucy and Natsu took up the back. Happy sat between them, part on Lucy's leg and part on Natsu's. Thanks to Wendy. they were all spared of Natsu's motion sickness.

They rode in silence. She felt Natsu watching her and he didn't look away when she caught him.

His face was all shadows, giving him a surreal appearance. Even covered in darkness his smile covered her in brilliant rays of sunshine. Natsu lifted his arm up to put around Lucy's shoulders and pulled her to him. Lucy exhaled her inhibitions and leaned into his side. His hand stroked the hair that covered Lucy's shoulders. She had taken her hair down for the night. When he stopped to rest, Lucy reached up to stroke his hand resting on her shoulder. Every once in a while he would lift his fingers to grab hers for a moment. Kind of like a teasing game. Lucy could feel him watching her again, she decided it was her chance. She turned a bit so when she looked over at him their faces were inches apart. He watched her curiously. Lucy looked at his mouth and then back at his eyes. A subtle notion of what was to come.

 **Screeeeech!**

"What the fuck!" Orson roared. "Don't you know how to fucking drive Claus?"

"Some idiot walked in front of the car!" Claus honked the horn and gassed it.

"Everyone okay?" Erza asked.

Natsu had grabbed Happy by the backpack. The poor exceed's fur stood on end. "I hate cars."

"I'm fine." Happy growled, flicking his tail.

In the distance a building was illuminated by neon signs. A line went out the door.

"Back entrance." Orson said.

Lucy cursed fate. Cursed everything. She sat up and adjusted the seat belt around her. "Ow."

"We should have walked." Natsu whined.

"No kidding."

"Quit complaining." Jellie grumbled. "We're about to get out."

Lucy watched the lights fade as they went around the building. She hoped this would be over fast, wanting nothing more than to be alone with Natsu.

* * *

 **Gah, almost!**

 **Thank you...**

 **MasterGildarts** I didn't want to wait long to find out what Gildarts had said to Gray either. I knew it would lead to them getting bumped up to S class, but not the quest itself at the time. **  
** **Lord Jaric** Lucy is pretty great, but Erza is queen of the fairies... **  
Lunar13** They really should have let Lucy and Natsu battle in the canon story. It would have been great for sure.

 **...For the reviews**

 **I look forward to hearing more from ya'll, remember to drop a review!**

 **Thanks for the Favs and Follows too!**


	14. Shit hits the fan

As planned, each girl was led inside by one of the guys. While they looked like peasants, the men were well dressed. Natsu had to go back to his room for a pair of more formal fireproof pants, just in case. Three guys guarded the dimly lit back doors. Two were on the outside smoking a cigarette. Lucy gave them a quick look. They were the same height as she was pretty much. Each well dressed and handsome. Not what she would have expected to see of woman trafficking goons. Neither of them acknowledged the women's presence.

"Identification." The guy on the left barked.

Natsu let go of her shoulder for a second to dig the fake I.D. out of his pocket and handed it to Lefty.

Lefty gestured to Righty, who banged three times on the backdoor. They waited patiently for a few seconds.

 **Click! Click! Creeeeak!**

It was a woman who opened up the door for them. Lucy's jaw dropped. Maybe it was sexist of her, but to think that a woman would be so apathetic to a crime that could easily affect her was significantly sickening. The woman caught Lucy staring at her and sneered.

Lucy narrowed her eyes and let Natsu lead her in. She kept her head down.

"Hmph." The woman looked down Lucy's body as she went by.

They took a left, and then a right. Bass music echoed through the wall. Somewhere a crowd of young adults bumped and grinded against each other, unaware of the dark deeds going on beyond the walls.

A tall slim man watched the approaching group and pushed off the wall to greet them. He checked out Erza shamelessly.

"The tits on this one." He laughed. "What's your name baby? Ha-ha. Nevermind."

 **Knock Knock Knock!**

She felt Natsu's grip tighten on her arm. Lucy felt laughter bubbling and tried her best to suppress it. It was just hilarious to see a sleazy flick of a man use such words to Erza. He had no idea what Erza was capable of, she'd mop the floor with him.

He looked over at Lucy as they passed through.

"Tsk, tsk." He clicked his tongue sadly.

Lucy tried her best to put a significant amount of distance between them.

They were led down a spiraling staircase. Natsu let go of her arm for a second.

"You'd think they'd be able to afford some better lighting." Natsu mumbled.

Lucy silently agreed, paying close attention to her footing. As much as she liked his touch, the hot basement didn't mix well with his already above normal body temperature. She was beginning to sweat everywhere. As quick as she could, Lucy reached between her boobs to adjust her keys that she had tucked in for safe keeping.

She heard Natsu laugh at her.

"What?" She asked. "It was the only option."

They saw the bottom of the steps approaching and got back into position.

Lucy could hear a group of men laughing. They were all sitting in a circle on very nice looking sofas. It was a mix of younger and middle aged men. Most of them were well dressed, but two were wearing regular street clothes.

"Oh." A redheaded male addressed the group. "We have company."

Lucy's lip curled back involuntarily. She was used to eyes roaming over her body hungrily, full of lust. In this case it was lust dipped in greed. They wanted to use her, another drop in the ocean of their twisted business. She hardly felt sickened for herself, but for all the women before her who were dragged in this room against their will. No friends holding their arms, having their backs.

"Just three?" An older man asked.

The man directly in front of the latter checked the ladies out pointedly. "These ones have meat on them, that's quite the rarity around here."

Lucy gave an inspection of her own. One of these men was Vega, and the others were surely his body guard.

"Not the short one, she must be local."

Jellie rolled her eyes, earning a grin from the man who had commented on her physical trait.

"Well alright!" A man with a long, black beard barked. "Bring them forward, we'll decide what we can off for 'em."

Orson pulled Erza forward, leading her to the middle of the room.

"Looks like you thought ahead." Redhead commented. "Though, it takes away the fun of watching 'em strip."

Lucy realized he was talking about their underwear. She quietly thanked Jellie for her advice.

"Tell your guys to step back." One of the younger guys instructed Orson. "The women aren't going anywhere."

One of the men in street clothes wiggled his fingers mid-air and a holographic screen blinked into existence. He typed a bit and a green circle expanded at each of their feet and rose up, scanning their bodies. The light tingled on her skin as it rose. It came back down and then disappeared.

"Where do they come from.?" Black beard asked.

"Fiore." Erza spoke.

Lucy looked around the room, afraid they'd act in retaliation.

They only nodded.

Street clothes #1 typed more on his screen and then sent it away.

"What's the verdict?" Street clothes #2 asked. He leaned forward with a goofy grin on his face like it was a game.

"Natural redheads are in higher demand." He spoke. "We can offer 300,000."

"That sound alright?" Blackbeard asked roughly.

"Yeah." Orson grunted.

"They're plenty of short ones in the system right now, so no deal on that one."

"As for the blonde...we can give 100,000."

Lucy felt a pang of hurt from the difference in worth she was deemed versus Erza... and then waved it away.

 _It's a stupid system anyway._

 _"_ 100,000?" Claus argued. "That's Lucy Heartfilia you're talking about."

Lucy's jaw dropped and her team mates tensed up. They had agreed to keep names out of this operation.

"Who?" Red head asked. The rest looked equally lost.

"Lucy Heartfilia. Model, author, seasoned war veteren."

Black beard snapped his fingers at Street clothes #1 "Look her up."

Natsu growled and locked eyes with Erza.

Lucy watched as their exchange was noted by a man wearing a pink fedora sitting in the middle of the rest. His eyes narrowed, but he didn't move.

Lucy's heart thumped in her chest.

 _He knows something is up._

 _S_ treet clothes #1 gave a low whistle. "Boss, Lucy Heartfilia has a bounty of 1,000,000."

Lucy's jaw dropped, even Natsu turned to look at her. She knew they were both making the same connection. That this explained why they were being chased.

All the men shuffled excitedly. She would be a big pay out for them.

"In that case." Erza spoke. "Look up Erza Scarlet or Erza Titania."

Street Clothes #1 got to work, typing quickly. "5,000,000!"

"How do we know these are the same women?" Red beard asked.

Pictures of Erza and Lucy's modeling photos were brought up. Lucy groaned internally. This was the last thing she would have expected to be brought up.

 _We look hot though..._

"It would seem we own you a bit more. We can give you sixty-five percent of their listed bounties." The man with the pink fedora spoke.

"Fine with us." Orson agreed. "

"Wait a second." Street Clothes #1 cut in. "The threat level for these women are through the roof, how did you get them so tame."

Orson laughed, breaking the tension. "My buddy here specializes in mind control. He has them convinced they have no reason to run. You can do anything to them."

Lucy figured that was an okay explanation. What he did next was not okay.

Orson reached out one hand towards Lucy and the other towards Erza and squeezed one of their boobs.

Lucy froze, and looked down at his hand in disgust.

"They aren't going anywhere." He said, still squeezing her.

"Alright." Natsu snapped. "He gets it."

Orson dropped his hands.

 _What nerve! i'm kicking his ass!_

 _"_ The time to be the hero to women ended when you walked through that door." Red Beard laughed at Natsu. "She's gonna be more than felt up in the coming weeks."

The rest of the men laughed to themselves, except the Pink Fedora man.

He stood up. "Any way, we'll take them from here. Lead the women to the holding cell."

Red Beard chuckled to himself as he stood. "Alright Vega."

There. Now they knew which one was Vega.

"Requip!" Erza called, summoning armor and a lasso. "Vega, you're under citizens arrest." She spun the lasso above her head and sent it flying.

SHWOOMP! A flash of silver and the rope was cut.

"What the hell!" Red Beard cussed, jumping to his feet along with several others.

Several magical attacks were sent in Erza's direction. Claus jumped out of the way just in time.

Lucy reached between her chest and pulled out her keys. "Open, gate of the Virgin. Come Virgo!"

"Hello!" Virgo appeared, bowing.

"The man wearing the Pink Fedora. We need him captured."

"Got it!" Virgo dove underground.

Black Beard watched Virgo go down and quickly brought his fist down onto the basement floor.

Lucy watched in horror as the floor gave in to the force.

"VIRGO!" Lucy screamed, feeling her spirits gate close. "Gah!"

A ball of fire slammed into Black Beard, sending him backwards into the wall.

"Yaaaaa!" Erza shouted, charging towards Vega, who pressed himself against the back wall. Red Beard and a guy wearing a green bandanna stepped between him and Erza. They charged her too, they were a blur of flashing weapons as they tried to best each other.

"Let's go man." Street Clothes #2 said to #1.

His friend nodded and they quickly rushed up the stairs.

"Fire Dragon Roar!" Natsu sent fire running up the stairs towards the two deserters.

Lucy clutched Virgo's key in her hand, praying that the celestial spirit was alright.

Black Beard coughed, stuck in the wall. He sent Natsu a burning glare.

Natsu ignored him and charged towards Vega.

Black Beard sneered and started breaking free from the stone.

"Open, Gate of the Bull. Come Taurus!"

"Moooo!"

"Hold him up Taurus!" Lucy ordered.

"Youuuu got it!" Taurus stomped over to a very unhappy looking black beard.

Natsu and Vega had engaged in hand to hand combat. Erza had kicked one of the attackers on his butt. He sat stunned for a moment before pushing off the ground to join back in.

Black Beard threw a chunk of stone up into the air and punched it towards Taurus.

 **Bonk!**

"Owwwww!" Taurus roared.

Black Beard manged to crawl out.

Something seemed off, and the realization that Claus, Jellie and Orson were no longer in the room shook Lucy to the core.

 _They just abandoned us, bastards!_

Lucy growled and changed in to her Taurus Star Dress.

 **Woopsh!** She cracked her wip, sending sparks against the concrete.

Black Beard was in the midst of sending another projectile towards Erza's back.

 **Woopsh!**

She yanked the stone out of the air and sent it flying in another direction.

Black Beard sneered and charged towards Lucy.

"Stupid Bitch!" He spat, lunging at her.

"LUCY KICK!"

She landed a blow in the middle of his chest.

"Oomph!" He wheezed for a second before reaching out for her.

Taurus swung his axe, hitting him in the side with the blunt side of it.

Black Beard recovered quick, swinging a well powered fist towards Taurus. It was dodged narrowly by her spirit. He spat on the floor and stalked towards Lucy.

 **Woopsh!**

He caught her whip on his forearm, stopping for a moment to brace himself for the pain. Lucy tugged it back and he lost his balance. Black Beard tripped and fell on his hands.

Lucy felt really good about now. Taurus came to knock him out with his axe, holding it above his head.

"Ahhh!" Black Beard growled, slamming his hands on the stone floor. The building shook and the stone rippled like water, shooting up into Taurus and slamming him into the wall.

Lucy watched in anger as her spirit slid to the ground.

 **Woopsh!**

She hit him on his ribs, making him cry out. He quickly figured where she was and sent a wave of stone her way. Lucy quickly dodged it.

"Ha!" He laughed, suddenly at her side.

 **POW!**

Lucy felt her body crash against the opposite wall as stars popped like fireworks in her head. She crumpled to the ground, feeling a bit groggy.

"Lucy!" Natsu shouted.

 _I have to move._

 _L_ ucy jumped back up, swaying a bit to keep steady. Pain radiated from her cheek bone where Black Beard's fist had connected with her. She tasted blood pooling in her mouth and spat out a good amount of blood.

"Ew!" She muttered.

"Open Gate of the Sea Goat. Come Capricorn."

Capricorn came flying out of his gate. Landing in a ready position, waiting for an order.

Black Beard sneered and sent a wave of stone his way. "Freaks." He muttered under his breath.

"This is a strange battle-" Capricorn commented, leaping of the wave and landing on the other side. "- Lady Lucy."

"We're here to catch a man named Vega, the guy Natsu is fighting. He a part of the human trafficking going on in Bosco."

"I see." Capricorn flipped over to plant his hoof in Black Beard's face.

Black Beard crossed his arms in front of his face, and made a sheild with it.

 **CRACK!**

 **T** he stone protected his face, but the force had knocked him on his butt.

"Yeee-ahh!" Erza cried, knocking Green Bandanna to the ground. He was out cold. Leaving only one man for her to take out.

Natsu was having a hard time keeping Vega pinned, the guy was harder to pin down than one would think of someone who kept three body guards.

 **Shwoomp!**

Lucy felt a piece of stone graze her cheek.

 _Pay attention!_ She screamed at her self internally. She spat out more blood and wiped her face. She could feel a cut on the inside of her mouth where she must have bit into when Black Beard punched her.

Capricorn was a blur, planting fists and hooves into Black Beard's body. Finally a wave of stone caught Capricorn by the hoof.

She felt stone wrap around her ankle, but she was able to slip out in time.

"Rahh!" Black Beard shoved Lucy to the ground.

Lucy rolled on her back, But he was already standing over her.

He coated his fist in stone and brought it down.

She gasped and rolled right.

 **Bam!**

 **"** Stay still." He growled. bringing it down again.

 **Bam!**

She managed to avoid him again, and tried to get up.

Frustrated he lunged at her and landed on top of her.

"Get off me!" Lucy cried.

"You aren't shit." He told her.

 **Slap!**

Lucy managed not to cry out in pain.

"Not so tough without your damn whip or creatures."

 **Slap!**

Lucy reached her hands up and tried to push him away.

They grappled for a moment. He managed to get a hold of both hands and raised his fist to give a fatal blow.

She watched helplessly.

"Fire Dragon Roar!"

A stream of flames shot him in the hand, melting the stone.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Black Beard road, quickly shaking of the molten stone.

"Thanks Natsu!" Lucy rolled away at last, blinking back tears that had welled up in her eyes from the pain inflicted.

Lucy moved fast and planted a kick of her own into Black Beard's side. In that moment Capricorn had finally managed to kick free from the stone.

 **Clack!**

Erza managed to defeat Red Beard, he fell to the ground and said something to Vega.

Vega spat on him.

Erza and Natsu worked together and pinned Vega down.

Black Beard gave a quick look towards Vega and then back at Lucy and Capricorn. He sent a wave of stone over Lucy who tried her best to dodge it. The stone rammed into her side and sent her flying into the coffee table.

 **Crash!**

"Ah!" She caught herself from landing face first, using the force to flip herself on to the couch. She could hear a huge crash happening a few feet away.

"Ooomph!" Lucy slammed into the couch and felt something blunt stab into her side. "Ahhh!" She cried out, pulling herself off the couch.

"Try getting out of that!" Black Beard sneered, under estimating her friends.

He had completely covered her friends in stone. The new structure shook and began to move in, trying to crush everyone.

 _Even Vega!_

Lucy gaped at him, Capricorn swung around to give Black Beard a swift kick in the back of his head but in an instant stone was flying everywhere amidst a wall of flames.

Lucy dropped to the ground and covered her head as it went over her.

Stone felt to the ground around her, some pieces landing on her. It didn't hurt as bad as her face did and now her ribs where something had poked her.

"Lucy!" Natsu fell beside her, shaking her back.

She quickly pushed herself up. "I'm fine."

"Are you hurt?" Happy asked.

"No."

Natsu stared at her cheek that was probably bright red. Lucy turned her head away from him so she could spit blood in peace.

"You're bleeding." He stated.

"It's nothing." Lucy promised.

Looking up she saw Erza wearing her Flame Princess armor, she held Vega by the wrist like a child.

"Let me go you witch!" He barked at her, trying to break free.

Black Beard formed a few balls of stone and began to throw them at Erza. She let go of Vega so she could bat them away.

"Bastard." Natsu stood and charged Black Beard. Using a flame engulfed fist he punched Black Beard in the face, knocking the guy out easily. Black Beard stumbled backwards and then fell down.

Erza summoned some rope and swifly tied Vega down.

"What the hell, I'll have your heads for this!"

Natsu laughed heartily. "That sounds like a threat."

"It's a promise. I know who you are and all I have to do is say the word an-Mmglblehbh."

Erza taped his mouth closed. "I noticed our new friends slipped out."

"Huh?" Natsu looked around the room.

"Oh my gosh." Lucy looked around the room. The once neat area was a total mess. The couch was slowly burning and all the manipulated stone made the place look like a fun house.

"Lady Lucy." Capricorn addressed Lucy. "I do not wish to be summoned again unless it's for training."

"Capricorn." Lucy frowned.

"I understand I am under a binding contract. I will come if you summon me and fight for you of course. However I will do so with great contempt."

"Why are you saying this?" Lucy asked, wincing in pain from her wounds.

"I wish for you to be able to defend yourself in hand to hand combat. You are still near helpless when it comes down to it."

Lucy shook her head. "If that's what you want."

Capricorn nodded.

"Once we get going again I promise I'll find time to practice."

Capricorn relaxed a bit. "I am impressed with your 'Lucy Kick'. You seem to have managed to perfect that to some extent."

"Thank you Capricorn."

"That's all." He said.

Lucy closed his gate.

She felt shame well up in her stomach.

 ** _"However I will do so with great contempt."_**

Lucy sighed and walked over to her friends.

"Well, we got him."

"Let's go." Erza threw him over her shoulder and stalked towards the stairs.

"Where do we take him." Lucy asked. There was still a bit of blood in her mouth, she spit more of it out.

"To the authorities." Erza answered. "I'll admit, I'm a bit nervous that the others disappeared."

"Cowards." Natsu muttered.

Lucy tried her best to keep up with the others, now that her adrenaline was going away she began to feel every bump and forming bruise.

Natsu slowed so she could catch up. He held his hand up for her to high five.

She smiled and obliged.

"You did great."

"You did too...and Erza." She grinned.

Natsu nodded and smirked.

Before she could read into that men in uniforms greeted them at the top of the stairs.

"What the hell is going on?" Their chief barked.

"Sir." Erza addressed him. "We have caught this snake to interrogate. He is the leader of a certain ring that is responsible for trafficking women."

They pointed guns at their group.

"Freeze. Drop the man."

Erza stared back at their weapons and shrugged Vega off her shoulder. Vega angrily stood and waited for something to happen. Lucy noted how his face paled.

 _Good._

"What guild are you a part of?" The chief asked.

"Fairy Tail." Erza answered.

The group of officers looked surprised and spoke among themselves.

"You're a long way from home, what business is it of yours to be interfering with foreign affairs."

"It's our business," Natsu spoke. "Because it's affected our friends."

"Is that why you're here?"

"No," Lucy answered. "We were approached by a couple who had lost their daughter-."

"And they wanted you to infiltrate Vega's lair as captured women." The chief finished. "You fell for a trap."

"No." Erza shook her head. "They wouldn't lie about that."

Lucy balled her hands into fists.

"We've never caught the 'couple', but rumors of their scheme have gotten back to us.

"That must be why the others split."

"They wanted the bounty on our heads." Lucy said shakily, she groaned and held her head in her hands. "I can't believe it."

"I'll catch them." Natsu swore. "I'll drag them in by their hair!"

"We're impressed. To some degree. Men, take this Vega into custody."

"Sir!" Three men spoke and rushed over to Vega.

"As for you three." The Chief spoke. "We'll be taking you into custody as well."

"Please sir." Lucy begged. "We need to check on our friends. They stayed behind, if the couple were really double crossers-."

"Gray Fullbuster and Wendy Marvel. We took them in too."

"How did you know they were with us."

"An anonymous tip."

"Probably one of those weasels." Erza guessed.

"I can't believe this." Lucy shook her head. They were tricked into turning themselves in. She laughed darkly.

"Eh, screw 'em." Natsu shrugged, visibly trying to shake the betrayal. "They thought we weren't strong enough and we sure showed them."

"Exactly." Erza agreed. "And We'll go willingly."

They seemed to trust Erza's word, and didn't put handcuffs on them.

 **-0-**

Lucy sat in the van between Natsu and Erza. She sighed, touching her cheek carefully.

"That looks like it hurts." Natsu commented.

"Nah."

"I saw him on you." Natsu muttered. "I tried to burn his hands off."

Lucy shook her head. "If anyone needs their hand burned of it's that creep Orson."

"Indeed." Erza agreed. "I was okay if it was a part of the facade, but now I know he did it for kicks."

Lucy shuddered.

"I'll get him back for you two." Natsu promised.

Lucy smiled, knowing it'd be a fat chance to run into them again. She nudged him with her shoulder.

"It's water under the bridge now. I vote to focus only on our true quest from here on out."

Natsu nudged her back. "No more side quests."

Erza shrugged. "We still caught the guy, you know some one is getting fired for their plan failing."

Natsu smirked.

"I know you'll be wanting to finish the quest as soon as possible." Erza acknowledged. "We'll do our best to stay on a straight course from here on out."

"I'll finally be an S class wizard." Natsu sighed, leaning back against the cold seat.

 _Leaving me again...at least it's not out of the blue like last time._

"And you will be pocketing quite a bit of jewel while you're at it." Erza said.

"This is amazing, I'm going to be rich."

"We can get a new cottage." Happy dreamed. "With a pool."

"A hot tub too."

"Wow."

Lucy forced a smile, not wanting them to see her pouting. Her mind wandered back to the drive over to the club. He saw her look at his lips, moving in. She almost kissed him. She felt giddy.

"It's so dark at night." Erza commented. The only street lights were space twenty feet apart and shined dimly.

"It's making me sleepy." Natsu said, resting his head on the wall of the cab.

"Yeah." Erza yawned. "It's way past our bedtime."

"Aye." Happy agreed.

Natsu groaned. "I hope they're not gonna make us spend the night in jail."

Lucy grimaced. "Surely not, we did them a huge favor."

"I'm sure we're just going to answer a few questions and they'll send us on our way." Erza shrugged.

 **-0-**

 **Slam!**

"I can't believe you guys were arrested too." Gray mumbled, looking out at them through the metal bars from an opposite cell.

They were indeed locked up.

"They woke us up." Carla griped.

"It's got to be three in the morning." Wendy sighed.

Erza smiled, lounging back on the hard steel bed bolted into the concrete. "Our mission was successful at least."

Natsu punched his fist into his opposite hand, sending flames outward. "We caught the bad guy."

Lucy watched his move and tried to copy it. When her fist smacked into her hand she saw a small flame peak out. It was no where near as impressive as Natsu's.

"Wow!" Natsu crowed. "That was awesome!"

Lucy looked up at him, smiling modestly. "It was just a little flame."

"It's a damn good start." He corrected. "I can't believe we finally did it!"

"We?" Gray smirked. "It's all Lucy innit?"

Lucy shook her head. "Natsu's teaching skills got me here."

"Exactly."

"Your celestial spirit Capricorn," Erza began. "He said that you were holding back before, did you ever figure out what he meant?"

Lucy raked her brain for an answer. "Uh...maybe it just had to do with how much effort I put into learning?"

"Who cares now." Natsu shrugged. "You're a fire mage now."

Lucy held her head up proudly as she summoned flames on her palm, doing her best to make it grow.

Gray moved over to his own steel bed and sat down next to Wendy. "They told us about the others, how it was all a trick."

The mood in the jail cells turned sour.

"Figures." Gray muttered.

"It's whatever." Erza pressed. "We'll be out of here and it will all be a bad memory."

Natsu cracked his knuckles. "Unless we run into them. Then we'll give 'em a piece of our mind."

"AYE!" Happy agreed.

"We should lay low and slip out of town unnoticed." Erza corrected. "Even if we see them again."

Natsu frowned. "No way. Not after what they did to you and Lucy."

Lucy looked up from the flame waving on her palm. "What do you mean?"

He squeezed his fists closed tight, making his knuckles turn white.

"They gave us fake sob stories, making you two volunteer to walk into who knows where wearing rags...then he put his hands on you." He bared his teeth. "It was all a set up so they could get rich."

"Hry," Erza said gently. "They were never going to get away with it."

"Still." He seethed. "You two are so kind hearted. It pisses me of to see someone take advantage of that."

"Natsu..." Lucy whispered. Touched.

"They wasted our time." Gray mumbled.

"We caught Vega though." Lucy pointed out.

"Those two other guys got away." Natsu growled, talking about the ones wearing street clothes. "Surely they'll let someone know we're in town."

"So what?" Gray asked. "We'll just beat their dumb asses."

He sighed. "It's just more obstacles in the way."

"I guess so." Gray agreed.

Wendy kicked her feet, keeping her thoughts to herself. She looked like she was fighting sleep.

The door to the holding room creaked open and the police chief walked in.

"Alright, we've got a few officers in different rooms. We're gonna split you up, expect Ms. Scarlet. You'll be investigated on your own."

"Investigated?" Gray questioned.

"We need to confirm that your group is not affiliated with the human trafficking."

"What?!" Natsu spat. "Us?"

"We brought you Vega." Lucy pointed out.

"Regardless. Alright Ms. Scarlet. Let's go."

Erza stood up slowly and stretched.

"No funny business."

"Who me?" Erza joked. exiting the cell.

The cell was locked behind her and Erza was led out of the holding room.

"I wonder what they're going to ask us?" Wendy worried.

"Doesn't matter." Carla answered. "You're innocent, you didn't even go along."

"Exactly." Gray smirked. "You and I our innocent."

Natsu's jaw dropped. "So much for being a team!"

Gray laughed. "I'm kidding."

 **-0-**

Lucy figured Erza had been gone for about thirty minutes now. It was surprising to everyone when Happy and Carla were called together. They didn't think the exceeds would need to be investigated too.

Gray and let Wendy lean into him so she could get a bit of sleep. Lucy thought it was neat to see a warm side to Gray.

"Ugh!" Gray exclaimed. "I need to call Juvia back."

He tried to dig in his pocket for the communication lacrima, but in doing so Wendy began to slip. He stopped and steadied her, sighing in defeat.

"She'll understand." Lucy assured him sleepily. If she tilted her head back at the right angle she could manage a decent resting position between the bars.

"For sure." Gray said quietly.

She seemed to have just dozed off when the door opened again.

He walked over to Gray and Wendy's cell to unlock the door.

Gray carefully patted Wendy's shoulder to wake her. "Wendy...Wendy it's our turn."

"Hmm...okay." She stood slowly.

Gray helped her stand and led her to the door.

"We'll let you go after we reach a conclusion." He assured them.

"Thanks." Natsu said sarcastically.

The cell felt so empty with out all of her friends. She hoped this would be over soon so she could fall asleep on a real bed.

"Aren't you tired?" Lucy asked leaning back into her original resting pose.

"Nope." Natsu answered.

She sighed and leaned forward. "I am, but this is all so uncomfortable. I can hardly doze off."

Natsu gave her a quick glance and looked back down at the concrete.

"There's room up here if you want to sit on something other than the floor." She suggested. "That floor has to be freezing."

He climbed up to the bench and sat beside her, leaving a little less than a foot between them.

"How's your bruise?" He asked.

She poked at it and winced. "It's fine. How red is it?" There wasn't a mirror to check it herself.

He looked over. "It's red on the outside and kinda reddish-purple on the inside."

"I'm gonna take Capricorn up on the fighting lessons for sure." She said. "I almost had my ass handed to me by that guy with the black beard."

"It would have been over faster if we could have gone all out. We had to try and keep the damage to a minimum."

"Right. The guy I fought tore the place up though."

"Hmph." Natsu growled.

"What?"

"I'm still pissed off that all this happened."

"...Me too."

She saw him reach over towards her face. Lucy froze. He brushed his thumb over her bruise so lightly that it was barely felt.

"I'm sorry you were put through this again."

Lucy blushed, causing her to unfreeze. "It'll be the last time. I did my part in helping out, it's up to Bellum now."

"Right."

She could tell he was still bothered.

"So..." She said, changing the subject. "Looks like you're well on your way to being an S class wizard." The words sliced at her on the way out, it was painful trying to act like it didn't upset her.

"Yeah." He nodded softly.

Her face slipped, she saw him watch it happen.

He turned towards her a bit. Lucy looked down to hide her face.

"You don't look to happy." He pointed out. "...I'm sure they would have let us all go if it weren't for that travel ban."

 _He thinks I'm jealous._

"Surely." She agreed.

He continued trying to cheer her up. "It'll be a quick quest between me and Gildarts."

"And Gray."

"Him too. I just gotta get more outlaws than him. I can't let 'em get more jewel."

Lucy smiled. "I'm sure you'll beat them all."

"I'll be like Erza at the Grand Magic Tournament, taking on all the monsters."

"Save a few for Gray, jerk." Lucy joked.

Natsu rolled his eyes jokingly. "I guess."

Lucy chuckled. "He's trying to start his life y'know."

"Me too." He said in a more serious tone. "Once I become S class I'll have better Quests to go on. More serious ones. I'll have to focus then, really make a name for myself."

"Right..."

Lucy watched a grin grow on his face. He was inside his own mind right now, dreaming of glory and power. She couldn't help, but smile to herself. This is what she loved most about him, the fire that always burned brightly within himself. She just craved the warmth too dearly, it hurt too bad to think of trying to go even a day without him. She knew it wasn't healthy for herself to be this attached. She knew this first hand.

"The good news." Natsu spoke. His demeanor had changed. He was now leaning over slightly with a goofy smile on his face. "Once I'm an S class wizard we can both go on big quests. Just the two of us and Happy."

She felt her heart leap in her chest. She looked over at him, he was scratching the back of his head.

"Oh yeah?"

He nodded slowly, locking eyes with her. His dark eyes sent a wave of calm, while at the same time sending a jolt of energy through her body.

She felt something internal, pushing her closer to him. She turned towards Natsu, making sure to keep eye contact. She couldn't read minds, so this was the next best thing. His eyes widened slightly as she leaned in, having to scoot closer. He didn't move. Stuck in place.

"That sounds exciting." She spoke softly.

No response.

Lucy took the chance, closing the distance and...brushed her lips against his. She felt him sway a bit as the slight contact sent chills all the way down to the tips of her toes. Her left hand propped her up while the right hand hovered at her side, itching to touch him. Her eyes were squeezed shut, afraid to see his reaction. She moved to press her lips against his once again before leaning back.

They sat in silence for a moment. It took more effort to look up at Natsu than it was to kiss him. When she managed too he was still frozen in place, looking at her lap.

She felt her stomach fall.

 _I did it! We kissed! Ah! He's not saying anything. I hope I didn't screw up..._

"Lucy..." He whispered hoarsely.

"...Yeah."

"Do that again...please."

She looked up at him. "Kiss-kiss you...again?"

"Yeah."

She swallowed the lump in her throat and leaned forward again. This time he met her halfway. She paused for a moment, before pressing her lips against his again. She felt numb all over, but it was a pleasant numbness. When she did feel again it was his lips against hers and the tiny sparks that pulsed throughout. She paused for a second to control the swell of happiness erupting inside her body. Her heart was racing and her lungs didn't want to work.

Natsu moved closer to her, but didn't seem to know what to do.

 _It's been nearly a decade since he last kissed a girl._

She knew she had to help him out. Her hand went underneath his arm and pressed her hand against his back. He let out a shaky breath.

Lucy kissed him again, and felt his hand press against her back to hold her closer. Their lips pressed together again and pulled away with a 'smack'. It was like the ocean pulling away from the sand, preparing for a tsunami. His grip on her back tightened, so hers did too. His nose squished against hers as he tried to find the best angle.

"Sorry." He apologized, pulling away.

Lucy shook her head and pulled him back. Their noses bumped again and again. It was okay, they were both out of practice anyway. What mattered is that they both wanted this. It was a long time coming. At last, it was his breath tickling her face.

It was his lips pressed against hers.

His mouth opening hers.

His tongue...HIS TONGUE!

Lucy leaned back and wiped her face. "Too much tongue there."

His face was pretty flushed, he ran his fingers through his hair to smooth it back. His chest rose and fell with his irregular breathing.

"Sor-sorry."

Lucy had a wild feeling rush over her. "I'll show you." She leaned in again, this time she put her hand on the nape of his neck. She got things going again, brushing her lips over his again and again until he clung to her helplessly. Then she ran her tongue along the inside of his upper lip. He moaned softly against her mouth and the sound kicked everything into high gear. She slid her fingers into his hair and they bumped noses again. He re-gripped his hold on her back so he could be closer. Lucy slid her tongue against his slightly, not trying to choke him like he had done earlier to her. His reached to brush against hers, careful this time.

She sighed and let him kiss her now as he had picked up the art rather quickly.

He pulled away this time, and gave her one final, long kiss before scooting back.

"The chief guy is coming back for us now." He said thickly. He cleared his throat.

"Okay." Lucy murmured, leaning back against the cell to steady her breathing.

Natsu stood and stretched, turning his back to her.

Lucy watched him smooth his hair back, her attention then went to the middle of his back. Two brown spots had been burned into the fabric, there was a hole in the middle of one of them. The shirt he was wearing wasn't fireproof.

 _Did I do that?_

Lucy covered her mouth with her hand and laughed into it.

 _I burned his shirt. How embarrassing...and maybe a little bit hot._

The cell door opened and a different officer was there to unlock the cell.

Natsu turned to Lucy and reached out to help her up. They locked eyes again and smiled.

"Let's go you two."

Lucy and Natsu followed him in silence, each in their own world.

They were led down a long hallway and a door was opened for them. Outside the door was one chair.

"Alright," The guy reached in through the open door and held out a bucket. "Put all personal belongings into this. We'll return them at the end of the interrogation."

They both patted their sides.

"We don't have anything." Natsu answered.

"Those keys at your side miss, you'll need to put them in the bucket."

"Uh.."

"You'll get them right back." He shoved the bucket closer.

"If I give you these keys my clothes will disappear." Lucy told him. She was wearing her Taurus stardress still. Her shift was burned away with Natsu burned his way out of the rocks that Black Beard had covered them with.

He looked at Lucy with wide eyes. "Uh..."

"You can't investigate a naked woman." Natsu pointed out. "There's no way you could focus."

"Alright, follow me."

He took them into a room a few hallways down. The room was full of clothes and other items.

"Find something to wear."

"Thank you." Lucy found a long black skirt and a large black shirt so it wasn't too obvious she wasn't wearing anything underneath.

They got back to the room and she reluctantly put her keys into the bin.

"Alright, have a seat outside Lucy." He told her. "Don't move from this seat. I'll be watching from inside this room."

"Let's go." He gestured for Natsu to enter the room.

She sat down on the chair, trying not to breathe through her nose. The clothes she wore smelled like stale chips and dust. It did little to ruin her buzz however. She could still feel where his hands had dug into her skin. She leaned back in her chair and sighed.

 _I could get used to this._

Lucy closed her eyes and blissfully went through the moment again and again.

"Lucy." Erza's voice echoed down the hall.

She sat up and saw Erza walking past with a guard.

"You're just now finishing?" She gaped. Erza had been gone for over an hour.

"I gave them a lot of information and descriptions." She explained.

"Are you going back to the cell?"

"No, they're letting me go. I'll wait for the rest of you in the Lobby."

"Okay."

Erza disappeared through the doors, leaving Lucy to her thoughts again.

The door opened and Natsu walked out.

"You can go in." Natsu told her.

Lucy stood and brushed her hand against his. She felt his fingers reach out for her before they were too far away to touch.

"Natsu, you can just go back to the Lobby." He told Natsu.

"Nah, I'll wait." He said.

Lucy didn't want to hold him up. "Erza is down there, and maybe the others."

"Yeah." He looked torn and then just like that his expression smoothed out and he shrugged. "Alright, I'll catch ya later."

Lucy watched him go, amused by how fast he made a decision.

"Have a seat Ms. Heartfilia."

She sat down in an arm chair. Pleased to have something soft to sit on at last.

"I just have a few questions for you."

"Okay."

"What brings you to Bellum?"

"My friends and I fought a huge and exhausting war recently. After everything was back to normal we decided we wanted to see Bellum."

"You came all this way for sight seeing?"

"Yes sir."

"Are you going to visit any other countries?"

"Just the ones we have to go through on the way back to Fiore."

"How did you get into contact with the older couple?"

"They approached us at a restaurant. I don't remember the name of it."

"What did they say to you?"

"That their daughter had been kidnapped and Bellum wasn't doing enough to find her. They found out about a man named Vega who was in charge of gathering women for Bosco."

"Bosco?"

She looked at him. "Yeah, the country."

"Right." He nodded, writing everything down.

"How old are you?"

"I'm twenty years old, twenty seven if you count the years I was trapped on an island."

"Why would that make a difference?" He asked.

"I didn't age on that island, I didn't even notice that any time had passed."

 _Try asking Natsu how old he is._ She wondered how the rest of her friends answered that question. Lucy and Gray were the only ones born in this time.

"Did your guild in Fiore ever speak of and/or plan to get involved with the human trafficking ring?"

"No. It's never come up with them."

Lucy's eyes closed involuntarily. She forced them open.

"Sorry." She apologized. The chair was too comfortable.

"How long have you know the other members of your group?"

"Well...a little over three years now...or ten if you count the time spent on the island."

"Why did you go into the 'Poisoned Well' tonight?"

Her head fell from being so sleepy. She tried tapping her foot on the ground.

"We wanted to help that couple. We believed them."

"Didn't you care about the risk of being taken?"

She sat up straighter. "Just enough to be extra careful, I wasn't worried at all about being taken. My friends and I are fairly powerful. That an understatement for the others."

"You're not as powerful as they are?"

 _What's it to you?_ She wondered.

"I mean, I'm good enough. They're just on a higher level. One of them is an S class wizard and the others will soon be S class wizards."

Lucy seemed to melt into the chair, it was so warm and comfortable. Her head fell and it took a lot of strength to look back up.

"Ms. Heartfilia. Let's get you back to your cell."

Lucy jumped up, embarrassed she had nearly fallen asleep.

"Right." She was really looking forward to bed and then spending more time with Natsu.

"Face the door for me." He said.

Lucy got a bad feeling.

"Why?"

"Just, protocol." He said, sounding a little bit glum.

"What do you mean? You didn't ask Natsu to do that?"

"Please just follow directions or I'll have you locked up for resisting orders."

She frowned and faced the door, listening to every move he made behind her. Just when she heard the clink of metal she felt a cuff wrap around her wrist. Lucy turned around quickly. The handcuff was locked into place.

"WHAT THE HELL!" She shouted.

"I'm sorry." He said, grabbing her shoulders and twisting her towards the door.

She struggled, trying to swing at him.

"What are you doing!"

He shoved her against the door, hitting her cheek against the door. She ignored the pain and kicked behind her until she connected with his thigh.

"Ooomph!"

She swung the door open and was about to flee when she remembered he had her keys. She was just about to rush back in when he grabbed her by the shirt.

Lucy punched him as hard as she could, but it didn't phase him enough. He tried again to shove her against the wall.

"Stop, please!" She begged, pushing away from the wall.

"I have to do this!"

"No you don't!"

"Just shut up." He grabbed her wrist, trying to put the other cuff on her. She fought to break free.

"You're a part of the trafficking, aren't you!"

No response.

"Stop struggling."

She did her best to make it difficult for him. If only she had her keys.

"No, you moron!"

He was way bigger than she was. He grabbed a fist full of her hair and pulled, making her cry out.

Lucy was pinned for a moment. He'd need both hands to get her wrist cuffed.

Finally he was confident enough to release her hair and went for her wrist again.

She willed fire to climb her wrist as it did Natsu's, to burn the hell out of him. It wasn't enough.

A feeling of calm went over her and it took Lucy by surprise.

 **CLICK!**

"No!" She growled. " **NATSU! GRAY! HEL-."**

 **He** covered her mouth with his hand and she bit down hard.

"Ah! You bitch!" He shoved her into the wall again. Lucy pushed off the wall and tried to run.

" **Natsu!"**

It was probably no use, they were surely too far away to hear her.

She felt a heavy wave of saddness crash over her, slumping her shoulders as a sob broke through her lips. Then anger bubbled inside her, she turned to face the officer.

"Who put you up to this?!"

Her emotions twirled like a roulette wheel, and a few things clicked.

"That would be me baby." Uzumi and another man walked in the hallway.

"You again?" Lucy sneered.

"Me again, did you miss me?"

"What do you want with me?" She asked.

"What I want with you and what my boss wants with you are two very different things." He chuckled darkly.

"Screw you." Lucy growled.

"I'm not alowed to touch the inventory, otherwise I'd be willing."

"You don't have to tease her." The officer mumbled as Lucy's skin crawled.

"Ah shut up." Uzumi laughed. "It's a little too late to be a knight in shining armor now."

She watched as Uzumi reached into his coat and pulled out a wad of cash, then hand it to the officer.

"Take your money and go."

He looked down at the floor and went back into his office.

Lucy scanned the hallway. There were no windows only doors, and she had no way to open the doors with her hands behind her back.

"Sorry, this is the end of the line."

"You said you weren't the type for human trafficking."

He seemed to pale a bit at her accusation.

"I'm not...I mean I wasn't until after I met you. When I was arrested that night I had raked up quite a hefty bail. Well, my boss paid it but I had to pay him back. I found your name on a bounty pool. I didn't know that you were friends with all the other lovely ladies, your group had the potential for a grand pay out.

"Where are my friends?" She demanded to know.

"You'll make new friends in the underground. A pretty blonde like you."

She was speechless. He mind going a mile a minute on how to escape. There was nothing, except a Lucy kick, but even that was risky. Still.

Lucy charged Uzumi but before she could leave the ground his quiet friend had surrounded her with a bubble. It was purple and seemed to pulse.

She tried to get out of it as soon as possible.

It began to fill with purple smoke.

"Thanks." She heard Uzumi say.

She held her breath, praying for a miracle. She couldn't disappear now. She had just kissed Natsu. They had just reached the next level. If she disappeared this would be another distraction from the quest. What about their mission!

The bubble stayed put and the smoke became thicker, she sucked at holding her breath and as her body fought for air she helplessly took a small breath.

 _I'm sorry_ Was her last thought before she lost consciousness.

* * *

 _ **Thank you everyone for the reviews:**_

 _ **Lord Jaric**_  
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 _ **Justanextra**_  
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 _ **Anjay**_

 _ **and for the guest review too!**_

 _ **I'm so pleased to hear everyone is enjoying the story. It's just barely getting started too! Ayyy!**_

 _ **And for the likes and follows.**_

 _ **-Lemon~Moon**_


	15. Memory Loss

She swayed drunkenly on the edge of the bed as one of her newly assigned servants shut the door quietly behind her. The only source of light came from the mantle on the opposite side of the room. This was her first time ever being in a castle, having grown up in the country with her poor father and six younger sisters. The bed was the biggest she had ever seen, and it was bizarre to have all the space to herself.

She gripped the top sheet of the bed all of a sudden, riding a wave of nausea. She had no idea all of those drinks would make her feel this way… they never let her cup go empty, as per request of their King. Nobody had prepared her for this.

 _I'll never have another sip of wine as long as I live!_ She swore.

She pushed herself off the bed. Swayed. Then fell back on the bed.

"Oh!" She exclaimed.

Being her first time inebriated, she was getting used to being disoriented. The last couple of hours were filled with delicious food, glass after glass of wine and dancing. Lots of dancing. She even had a special dance with the King. It was a very special night. The party was to celebrate their engagement. She would become his third wife the next afternoon. She had barely spoken to the first two wives. It was almost like they were trying to avoid her. She had hoped to learn from them what to expect and begin what was sure to become a very long friendship.

Through the receding cover of drunkness, she felt at peace. The marriage would prevent her from ever going hungry or thirsty or cold again. She would never see her family again, but that was okay because the marriage would also ensure that they would be sent money to care for themselves. It really was a blessing to be chosen.

A faint noise caught her attention. Almost like an explosion. Glasses rattled on her nightstand.

 _Water._

She carefully stood back up and took small steps to the pitcher of water on the nightstand with the glasses. When she moved to pour a second glass of water after downing the first she heard more loud noises somewhere far away in the castle. She wondered if they were under attack, Bellum had enemies...but they were at peace! Her eyes darted around the room to find cover. She couldn't die or get captured. Her family was counting on her.

Her fears were confirmed as the footfalls of a dozen soldiers ran past her room. They shouted at each other to protect the castle. They continued down the hall and just as the noise nearly drifted out of range a loud WHOOOOOSH! swept through the same hallway.

"Retreat!" Someone yelled.

"Don't retreat! Protect the bride!"

 _He means me_ she thought.

Had someone come to kill her? Did one of the other wives send an assassin perhaps? She dove into a closet and shut the door. More shouting reached her ears and an explosion rocked the entire room.

"I don't want to die." She whispered, tears running down her face. "Please, I don't want to die."

"Ahhhhhh!" A man's shriek was the final cry before absolute silence.

She tried her best to keep still. She was still drunk so everything felt like a swirling vortex of fear and nausea. Then she heard her door knob turn.

 **Bang!...Bang!**

She hugged herself tightly. "I don't want to die, please."

 **Bang!**

She heard a voice calling for someone, and it scared her even more.

 **Boom!** The door was busted down and she could hear them run quickly into the room. She bit her hand to keep quiet.

They stood still for a moment before heading straight for the closet. The darkness was filled with the steady light given off the fire in the mantle. It wasn't enough to illuminate the face of the intruder. The shadows on his face made him look like an unearthly creature. Almost demonic.

She screamed until her lungs ran out of air before gasping and screaming again. He jumped and then fell to his knees. She grabbed at the space beside her until her hand found something and threw it at him.

He flinched as whatever it was bounced of his head. Other than that, there was nothing to throw. She covered her face in terror.

"Lucy. It's me." He told her.

She felt his hand touch her leg. It was inhumanly hot.

"I banish thee demon!" She cried. She had grew up on stories of demons. When the stories kept her up at night, her father had told her that she had the power to banish them by simply ordering them gone.

"Lucy." He gulped. "What'd they do to-"

"I banish thee demon!" She tried again through a tightening throat.

"Your hair." He gasped.

"Please. Don't hurt me. My family needs me." She begged.

He was quiet except for the sound of his short, rapid breathing.

"You mean us? We're here. We found you!"

"I banish thee demon!" She tried again.

She could sense the words affected him in some way, but he never vanished.

"Lucy…" He tried to touch her again.

"That's not my name!" She screeched.

They could hear more soldiers running through the hallways.

"We've gotta go." He snapped. "Our friends are waiting for us."

"Please don't take me." She begged. "I have to marry the King. My family depends on it."

"We're your family...you smell like booze Luc."

"He's in here!" The dark figure turned and she watched in horror as flames enveloped his fists. He pushed off the ground and charged at the men.

She had to escape while she had the chance. Even with the adrenaline it was hard to move. The demon had pushed the men back into the hallway, leaving the door unguarded. She ran out of the room and down the hallway. Never looking back. It was incredibly hard to keep going in a straight line but it felt like she was moving fast enough. Turning corner after corner. She tried a few doors but they were all locked.

"Wait up!"

He found her. There was nowhere left to run. He'd catch her no matter what. He caught up to her quicker than humanly possible.

"I'm gonna find whoever did this to you and roast em alive. I swear!"

She began to sob, feeling absolutely hopeless.

"I started to think-" He choked and then cleared his throat.

"But, I never rested. None of us did."

It was quiet for a moment.

"Are you okay, Lucy? Did they hurt you?"

She didn't like having her back to him, but she was too afraid to move. In the stories, demons were terrifying creatures.

"Let's get you outta here Luc. We're gonna go home." He hurried to her side and laid his hand on her shoulder.

His hands were so warm it was almost comforting. She still couldn't open her eyes. She covered them with her hands.

"Please." She mumbled. "Don't kill me."

He growled. "What did they do to you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

She felt the heat radiating off his body. Frightening, yet familiar.

"I'm so happy I found you...Happy! Oh the others...I gotta-!" She heard him fumble for something and then a bunch of quick tapping.

In her mind's eye she saw a memory flash by, of a flying blue cat. She chased the memory until it vanished.

"You're acting like you don't know me...do you know who I am?"

She shook her head and squeaked "No."

"Look at me Lucy. Maybe you'll remember me then."

"No! I banish thee demon. I know your tricks. I banish thee!" She knew it was a trick. If she looked she would be cursed.

"Please." He went around to face her and she leaned forward to avoid him.

"It's not a trick. You're my friend. I'm your friend!"

She could feel her heart wrench inside her chest. It had to be a trick.

 **Whoosh!**

An invisible force pushed them both to the ground. The demon took the biggest part of the blow and rolled so she landed on his body instead of the floor.

 _Did he protect me?_

"She is not your 'friend'." A voice growled. "She is the property of his royal highness."

"Bullshit!" The demon spat. "That King is a dead man. From what I understand, the dead can't own property."

She rolled off him and looked at the new comer. She knew him, he was her escort.

"Peter!" She cried, scrambling to get up.

His usual kind demeanor was covered by an intense scowl. "Come stand behind me."

The demon was up before she was and blocked her from leaving. She looked up at the back of his head. His hair was the most unusual shade of pink. His clothes were dirty, like he had worn them for days on end. From the back he looked like a human, not like how she imagined a demon to look. He had no scales or claws or tail.

She looked at Peter with a pleading look. She felt a breeze circle through out the room. And then the space between them began to swirl as an energy built up.

The demon quickly sent balls of fire in Peter's direction. The swirling vortex ate the flames.

Her head throbbed. She had never seen anything like this before. Was Peter a demon too?

Suddenly the vortex sent a ball of blue light hurtling towards them. She was pushed out of the way as the pink haired demon took the blow. She could hear him grunt as he was thrown back. The force knocked his feet back, and when they landed on the wall he pushed off and disappeared.

She blinked and there he was, knocking Peter to the ground.

"No!" She shrieked. "Please don't kill him!"

She charged forward, she had to protect Peter. He had been so kind to her. He wasn't moving now. Perhaps it was too late.

Before she could attack she saw his face and then she looked him in his eyes. They were so dark and wide. His face was gaunt and pale. Like he hadn't eaten anything in a while and the dark circles under his eyes said he hadn't slept very well if even at all. She recognized her friend, despite the vast amount of time that had passed.

 **Thump.**

She gasped as something shattered inside her mind.

 **Thump.**

"Lucy?"

"Natsu!" She gasped. Grabbing at her head.

"Lucy!" He ran at her and wrapped his arms around her.

 **Thump.**

"Ah." She flinched. "My head."

"I knew we'd find you."

Something was off. And it came to her in an instant.

"You haven't aged." She said.

"What?"

"You haven't aged. You still look twenty years old."

"I am-kinda."

She shook her head and broke away. "You should look older...do I look older?"

He ran his eyes over her and shook his head. "Your hair is short, that's the only difference."

With a start she reached for her hair. She found that it reached her chin.

Lucy sobbed again. "How long have I been gone?"

Natsu held on to her hand and squeezed it tightly, afraid that she'd vanish if he let go.

"Over three weeks."

His words sent chills down her spine.

"That can't be right!"

Years of memories rushed through her head. She had been locked away for a really long time, only coming out to take part in photo shoots before being sent back to her prison. They treated her like a celebrity. Feeding her the best food and giving her a gorgeous suite. She was a prisoner nonetheless. She then found that her memories were very limited. She felt that she knew the years had passed, but could hardly recall specific events. She knew she was pampered, but couldn't recall much except a turkey dinner and another memory of steak...then it was gone. She could see flashes of light as they snapped photos of her in elaborate outfits. She remembered thinking that she'd never see her friends again.

 **Thump.**

"Ugh!"

Lucy looked over at the man on the ground. His face sickened her. She could feel the sting of his hand on her cheek as he beat her.

She took a step back in remembrance.

"Oh, Natsu…" Lucy shook with anger. "They messed with my head."

She fell into his chest, he held her to him tightly.

"Lucy, they won't get away with this."

More memories rose to the surface. Making her heart race.

"Natsu, I think there are more women trapped her. We have to help them."

They stood wrapped around each other for a while longer. She felt feelings and emotions slowly ebbing back to her.

"We will." He promised.

-  
 **Sorry for the wait. :/**


End file.
